AVMU: Aliens Vs Marvel Universe
by War Journalist
Summary: A strange meteor from the depths of space lands in New York Harbor. S.H.I.E.L.D. is mobilized & the invasion begins. Can any, or even all of New York's greatest heroes stand against the galaxy's most terrifying monsters? M for Lang/Violence. Now Complete.
1. Breaking News

**ALIENS VS MARVEL UNIVERSE**  
A crossover fan fiction by War Journalist

_I do not assume ownership over any characters mentioned in this fan fiction. Predator & the Xenomorphs are copyright to Fox. All other characters are copyright Marvel comics._

**CHAPTER ONE**

He was a superhero. Beloved by all (except a certain _jerk_ Editor). Life was good. Quick and easy travel through the city, a cool, clean costume, and easy access to bad guys for a little venting every now and then. He was Peter Parker. But while in the ol' blue and red he called himself the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He breathed in the "fresh" New York air as he swung between the buildings. He would hear a cheer or a clap every now and then from a citizen below. Citizen? Who's he calling a citizen? It wasn't so long ago that he was just another nerd. He spun another web line. His first time it was life or death, now it was just reflex. He always enjoyed seeing the city speed by from up high.

The sound of an alarm ringing brought him out of his dreamy haze. He looked down on the street to his right and saw a small shop with a broken window. At first he thought about passing by.

"_Well, breaking and entering aren't really my forte…" _

Then he heard a woman scream.

"_But I just can't pass up the ladies! Wooo hooo!" _

He spun a web onto the building he had passed to swing down the street toward the shop. He saw three guys heading down the street carrying… TV's? Who holds up a store with an alarm that loud to heist something as big as a TV without an escape ride?

"_The crooks get dumber every day." _

As he passed over the shop he heard people yelling his name. He saw the crooks look back at him.

They had barely made 200 feet from the store before he dropped down in front of them.

"_Am I stopping a robbery, or are you gents just renting those?" _

He loved sarcasm. It was just as much a trademark of his as his webs were. The three thieves sped off down an alley.

"_Why do they always run from the guy who already caught them?"_

He followed them down the alley. Luckily it was a dead end. One set down his TV and came at him with a tire iron. By now he was a practiced veteran at dodging foreign objects. He came in from the left first, then the right. Then he threw it; easily avoided with a jump. In mid-air he webbed and tossed the tire iron back at the crook, right between the eyes. He never saw it coming.

"_Strike three, your out." _

The other two thieves had set down their stolen goods and were coming at Peter.

"_Okay, boys. Who's next at bat?" _

One of them picked an iron pipe from the ground and patted it in his hand before swinging it down at him.

"_Come on, guys…" _

The third crook comes from behind his partner with a trashcan. He throws the garbage toward Peter, but misses.

"…_get serious here!" _

The third throws his trashcan up attempting to hit, but Peter dodges easily by kicking the second crook into the third. He binds them with webbing before picking them up and placing them in the trash can. Spider-Man looks back out the alley to see a crowd watching him.

"_Hey, call the cops, will ya? Or maybe the garbage men." _

With that he leaps onto the side of a building and webs the three TV's together, carrying them back toward the store in a cocoon.

He lands in front of the store, placing the sets in front of the owner.

"_Here you go. I believe these are yours."_

The grateful man replies.

"_Thank you, Spider-Man! Here, you can have one of these older models on the house, if you like." _

"_No thanks Pops. I like to travel light."_

Spider-Man slings a web onto the building across the street to swing away, but a news bulletin on the window TV's catches his attention. He flips backward off the building onto a streetlight and watches with the gathering crowd.

The female reporter speaks quickly.

"_This is Caroline Short here with breaking news." _

She is standing at the New York City docks next to the water. People are running and screaming past her and the cameraman as she speaks.

"_As you can clearly see behind me, a meteor…yes a METEOR… is heading towards New York City. It seems to be heading in at an alarming speed, bent on smashing down into the harbor. All air traffic has been rerouted from the vicinity and citizens are advised to stay in their homes. Oh! There's Col. Fury! Col. Fury can you give us any comment on this crisis?" _

Col. Nick Fury is running past and yells back

"_You damn fools, get the hell out of here! Now_!"

The reporter looks startled as Wolverine runs up to her.

"_You heard him, clear out!" _

Wolverine growls, annoyed, extends his claws, and slices the camera, cutting the feed. The screens turn to static, and everyone in the street runs back to their homes.

Spider-Man swings away down the street toward the docks.

"_I'd better see what I can do before I go check on Aunt May and MJ." _

New York was a weird place, but meteors? As he swings he sees people below running in the opposite direction. Depending on how large that thing is, it could send a wave through the city streets. He sees it, still hanging in the sky, like a falling inferno. As he stared at it, he thought he saw a smaller meteor following it. It was probably just a piece breaking off. Hopefully the comet would get smaller before it hit the water.

* * *

Damn! He thought he could have destroyed it before it had gotten into range over a city. Now he was being pulled down too. His radar-jammer was still functional, but his physical camo was failing. His weapons were fried too. He needed to get down fast. He was passing by his quarry.

He turned as hard as he could toward a large water mass in the center of the city. The exterior scanners were still functioning… barely. The scanners estimated the water mass's depth. It was deep enough to absorb enough impact. He noticed that smaller pieces were breaking off of his quarry. The pods. Oh no. But it was too late to do anything. Hopefully the master ship would pursue him when he didn't return. He would just have to eliminate the threat on his own. He couldn't rely on the intelligence of the law enforcement of the planet.

He locked in the trajectory for the water mass and secured his weapons and breathing equipment. He leapt into his sleep chamber but didn't activate it. He secured it shut so he wouldn't sustain injury in the crash.

* * *

It had taken only minutes for he and Wolverine to arrive I the city. He wasted no time setting up a S.H.I.E.L.D. operation at the docks. According to Lieutenant Blake on the helicarrier the object was going to touch down in New York Harbor on the border between New York and New Jersey. He had confirmed reports that it was breaking up, but he didn't know whether that was good or bad thing. The smaller pieces were going to rain down on the city. He had cleared all of the civilians out of the dock area, except for that stupid reporter. Transport trucks were rolling in, bringing in soldiers, scientists, and weaponry from S.H.I.E.L.D.'s New York base. It was going to touch down in about twenty minutes and he was going to be ready. The U.N. would be on his ass if he didn't examine it first. Damn he hated space.

He had finally taken a break from giving orders are was just watching it come down. Wolverine came up behind him.

"_Anything I can do, Fury?" _

He thought for a second.

"_Sorry Logan. It's all pretty sensitive equipment. Even I don't know what the white-coats are doing with it. You can go if you want. Find that bar of yours." _

He heard the sound of webs being spun in the background. He called back to Wolverine, who was walking away.

"_And tell the incoming web-head to clear out, too."_


	2. Of Spiders, Devils, & Hunters

**CHAPTER TWO**

It was over. The meteor hit New York Harbor at 2:30 pm. He had tried to help, but Fury told Wolverine to tell him to "beat it or get gutted." Of course, he and Wolverine were never on good terms so he may have exaggerated a little. It was now about 6:00, and Pete was back on patrol. There had been no wave of doom; just a few hits around town from fragments. He had spent all this time with Mary Jane and Aunt May, making sure the house was safe, even moving into his apartment uptown, away from the docks. The fire department & S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken care of the hits, and he was just out on patrol, making sure the muggings and riots that accompanied a city-wide emergency were kept under control. So far there had been nothing. He saw a small brawl on the street below. About a dozen guys taking on… Daredevil. He immediately swung in to help his fellow hero.

One of the thugs had Daredevil in a sleeper hold, and few others were closing in. He swung hard and kicked one of the thugs in the side, causing him to collide with a few others.

"Devil not tough enough for you boys? How about a spider?"

He punched another approaching thug, knocking him out. Daredevil flipped his holder over his shoulders and kicked him into another.

"Thanks for the help, Spider-Man."

He roundhouse kicked another thug with a crowbar. One of the downed crooks pulled a shotgun from his coat. he fired two rounds at Spider-Man, who dodged them. Too close. As the thug was preparing a third shot, Daredevil fired his baton at the gun, causing the thug to hit one of his partners. The hit man fell to the ground, growling in pain. Daredevil punched the gunman across the face hard, and he passed out.

Well, time to round them up. Peter started piling the unconscious crooks into a pile.

"Thanks again, Spider-Man."

Daredevil began helping with the pile.

"No problem. I assume you heard about the meteor thing?"

"Yup. Pretty weird, huh?"

"I'll say. I was thinking about going to check it out. You want to come with?"

They each place their last man on the pile. Daredevil stared in his direction blankly.

"What's to see."

He felt the venom in that remark. He sometimes forgot, especially in battle, that Daredevil was blind. He heard an ambulance and headed out into the street to hail it down. They stopped and got out. He waved to them.

"Down here!"

He looked back down the alley to see Daredevil gone. He hated when people did that. It creeped him out. He spun a web up to a taller building and swung away.

"_Well, I guess I'm on my own." _

* * *

They were very sneaky. They always loved the fact that they didn't set off Parker's spider-sense. They had seen the whole fight from a hidden spot. They liked watching Parker in action. He was probably tired now. Maybe even tired enough to fight.

They wrung their hands and flicked their tongue back and forth. The thought of fresh-flowing blood from that bug was enough to drive them insane. They watched as he spun his web up and swung away. They saw the other swing away, but paid him no mind. They had no interest in devils. Only in spiders. They had already eaten earlier, and were ready to continue their life-long chase. As long as Spider-Man's life lasted anyway.

They heard his comment and quietly replied to themselves.

"Not as alone as you think, Spider-Man."

Their eyes practically glowed as they followed his movements. They spun their own webs to follow him from below, staying in the shadows. They followed until they got wind of something. Something… strange. It was different, yet seemed familiar. It wasn't his offspring; they were all gone from New York. Carnage was locked up in the Vault. Toxin hadn't been seen for months. And Hybrid was… well they didn't give a damn about that reject. This was something else. Something… from the past.

They followed Spider-Man, as well as the scent. They finally left his insect pursuit to follow the scent down an alley to a circular back alley between buildings. It was large. And so was the being on the other side of the circle.

* * *

After a few hours of running he had made his way into the city. He had found and slain a few of the beasts on his way. But he could not discover how they were spreading, and why none of the inhabitants had noticed them. The only way to stop the spread was to destroy the hive, and that was in the oceanic water mass. He had all of his weapons with him, leaving his destroyed ship behind. His camouflage, his blades, discs, cannon, nets, spear, and whip. And of course, his bomb. He carried one with a special charge to eliminate the Xenomorphs.

He had made his way along the city without being noticed. He had decided to duck between buildings and rest for a few moments. And his stealth technology needed to recharge. Afterward he noticed a small, red and blue being swinging in the air, between building. Apparently it was using self-producing swing-lines. An easy way to travel. He wished he could travel so easily.

He heard the sound of another being approaching. It was not like the one he saw passing. It was large… about as tall as he was. It was holding it's position on the outer edge of the circle. It was strange. It was completely black, easily blending in with the shadows. It's eyes were white and it had a white symbol on it's torso of an eight-legged creature with a long abdomen. It had very large teeth, which it constantly licked with it's overly long tongue darting in and out of it's mouth. It's pigmented slobber flicking everywhere.

He held his extended spear at the ready and prepared his targeting system. He checked and made sure his whip and discs were at the ready. Unfortunately his stealth armor needed more time to recharge.

As he prepared himself, the being was also brandishing it's teeth, and holding it's clawed hands out threatening. It made a hissing sound and growled. There was something oddly familiar about this being. Tendrils extended out of it's body threateningly. It began circling around the center of the alley. He followed the pattern, making sure to stay away from it. He locked eyes with it. There was malice in it's deathly white eyes. Malice and murder. Bloodhunger.


	3. Hunters' Quarrel, Allies Found & Lost

**CHAPTER THREE**

It brandished it's weapon, so they brandished theirs. They didn't have as much morphing ability as Carnage, but they could still kill it with their tendrils and claws. They licked their teeth.

After turning a circle for a few moments, they leapt at their prey. It sidestepped them and kicked them in the ribs. A weak attempt, but it still hurt them. They hadn't fought anything this strong. It wasn't what they had smelled, but it was good enough for a fight. They growled at it and swung their arm to cut it apart. When it dodged again, they extended sharp tendrils from their hand to stab it. But it pulled a small disc from a holster on it's side and sliced their tendrils off. That hurt! They retracted the remaining bits of themself and roared at it.

* * *

The creature wasn't very clever. But he had figured out that it was a Symbiote. He replaced his disc and staff, and pulled his whip out. He ran at it as he slashed back and forth. He cut it several times across the chest before it leapt up onto one of the buildings surrounding their battleground.

It screamed in pain, but never bled. This Symbiote must be solidly entwined with it's host. He threw his bladed disc at the Symbiote. It caught it and tore it apart. He accessed the memory bank in his helmet and looked at the Symbiote language. He spoke it:

"_I do not want to fight."_

It roared back at him and leapt on top of him, punching him.

It was strong. As his head lay on it's side, he looked up at the buildings in horror.

* * *

Interesting. This creature knew the language of the Symbiotes. This infuriated them.

"_We are not a Symbiote anymore! We are VENOM!" _

They bent down to bite the creature, but were stopped by it's spear. They bit the spear; it tasted like blood. And the blood smelled like the scent they had found earlier.

It flipped them over itself and repeated back to him in it's broken English:

"_Venom!" _

As they got up from the throw, they saw it running at them with it's spear drawn. Apparently it wasn't sincere about not wanting to fight. Too bad. It jabbed at them with it's spear, but they sidestepped it and grabbed the end of it. They grabbed the creature's helmet and forced it to look at them.

_"This is our territory, and you cannot hunt without our permission!" _

It extended claws out of it's left arm and slashed them across the face. They roared and raised their claws to slash it to pieces, but noticed it pointing up.

They followed it's finger/claw, and noticed what it was staring at. Now they knew what they had been smelling. Xenomorphs. They were everywhere. There must have been at least a dozen. They had surrounded them and were closing in. They were climbing down from the buildings.

They released their captor and stood back-to-back with it. One of the Xenomorphs leaped at them and they extended a tendril to knock it away. They didn't notice the other coming at them.

* * *

At last! This Venom had realized what he was saying. He couldn't find the word for Xenomorph in the Symbiote language in time.

He fired a net at one of the Xenomorphs attacking Venom. He knew they would have to work together to defeat all of these in their weakened states. His net stuck the Xenomorph to a wall, but that wouldn't contain it for long. He didn't start it's contraction process, because he knew it's blood would rip through the wires.

As he was looking at the trapped specimen, he didn't notice the Xenomorph attacking him. Venom extended it's claws, slashing it, and threw the Xenomorph into two of it's brothers. It screamed in pain at it noticed the acidic blood, and wiped it off on the ground, where it sizzled and smoked. The Xenomorphs made their high-pitched screeching sounds and attacked in unison. He threw his spear at one and pinned it to the ground. He used his whip next, slashing at two more that approached, removing their heads.

* * *

Curse theses wretched Xenomorphs! They had forgotten these creatures had acidic blood. It had been a long time since they had seen one. Their "friend" was holding his own well, so they decided to have some fun.

The one they had thrown had gotten back up and extended it's tail toward them. They extended a tendril toward it and wrapped around it's tail, swinging it around, until finally slamming it on their friend's spear in the ground. Another leapt at them, but they grabbed it by the head and neck; decapitating it, carefully avoiding the blood. They noticed their friend extend his claws again and slice another Xenomorph across the chest. That gave them an idea. They tore the tail off of the dead Xenomorph at their feet, and use it to slice another attacking one in half.

One attacked them from the side, tackling them to the ground. It extended it's inner mouth and dug into their chest. They roared in pain once again.

"_Nuh uh uh! Bad table manners!" _

They webbed the beast's mouth shut and kicked it into the air, and web-jerked it into the side of a building, where it's body was crushed by the brick.

* * *

He was swinging away, having found no other problems after encountering Daredevil. Surprisingly quiet for a night like this.

Then he heard a roar from behind him. He turned around and stuck to a building. He heard strange screeches coming from the same direction. Unless there was a giant bat in town, he had no idea what it was.

"_I'd better check that out." _

He hears another roar.

"_Oh no! That sounds like Venom!" _

He ran along the side of the building before leaping off and swinging toward the disturbance. He saw people running and screaming below. What had Eddy done now? He prepared for the worst.

He swung low and stopped a citizen.

"_What's going on?" _

The panicked man yelled

"_Monsters! Tons of 'em! Down an alley. I'm getting' the hell outta here!" _

He pushed passed Spider-Man and kept running. Well, now he had his answer. He took off swinging again.

* * *

He had used his disc to kill the last two Xenomorphs. Both he and Venom were bleeding and breathing heavily. His spear was destroyed, Venom had destroyed his bladed disc, and his blades were worn down. His whip was still functional, having quickly rid itself of the blood after each swipe. He had saved his cannons and bomb for the greater threats, which he knew would come soon.

Venom approached him with it's hand out and spoke in Symbiote.

"_No hard feelings, friend?" _

After staring for a moment, he approached with his own hand extended. He looked past Venom at the Xenomorph in the cage. It was gone! There was blood on the melted wire. He pulled his whip out again just before Venom was grabbed by his ankles by the Xenomorph's tail and dragged away. It had gone down into an underground aqueduct system. The lid was off. He ran as fast as he could. He had actually gained a comrade on this planet, and he would not lose his only backup!

He jumped down into the hole, not falling far before landing in the liquid below. He activated one of his cannons and night vision. He looked around quickly, whip in hand and cannon at the ready. He saw a life form lying on the walkway against the wall. He approached it slowly, but his readings said it was neither Symbiote or Xenomorph.

He tried to turn around but was quickly slammed against the wall. He tried to pull himself away, but he was held up by some kind of sticky secretion. It was slimy, yet stringy. A tail sliced the cannon off of his shoulder, and he stared into the face of a new monster.

* * *

He had finally found the alley.

"_Oh… my… God!" _

The sight before him was horrific. Black reptile creatures were scattered everywhere! And bits and pieces of them, too. Green slime was everywhere, apparently blood.

He lifted up his mask and ran out of the alley just in time to throw up in a trashcan. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around quickly. He looked up at Ben Grimm: the Thing from the Fantastic Four.

"_Whoa, sorry kid. I was in da neighborhood and saw ya swing by." _

Peter wiped the last bits of his dinner off of his chin.

"_Sorry Ben." _

They walk back into the alley. Ben has the same horrified expression.

"_Sweet Christ on a cracka!" _

Peter sees the open manhole and runs up to it.

"_EDDIE?" _

He couldn't see anything in the darkness.

"_I'm going down, Ben. Can you wait for me up here?" _

"_Sure. Just don' take too long."_

Peter jumped down the hole and turned his belt light on.

"_Eddie?" _

He looked around and heard something behind him. It was like a chirping, screeching sound, but it was barely audible. His spider-sense tingled mildly.

"_Whoa. You are NOT Eddie." _

He jumped to the opposite wall to look at the creature.

"_Holy shit!" _

It was Venom! But it was strange; it looked like one of the dead monsters in the alley, but it had Venom's eyes and spider symbol. He dodged just in time to avoid it's huge tail, which knocked a hole in the wall. The long tongue he had known stuck out toward him, but it had a mouth on the end. He grabbed it just in time to keep from being eaten, and threw it aside. The monster shot a web blob at him and caught his foot as he tried to jump away. The monster crawled right up to him, making it's terrible screeching noise. It raised it's tail to strike.

Peter's life passed before his eyes. A whip appeared out of nowhere and sliced the tail off. The monster screeched in pain before it was kicked aside. He had been saved by Indiana Jones? He looked up at what was definitely nothing George Lucas could come up with. A large, bleeding, man-like creature. It had a circular blade in it's hand, which it used to cut him out of the web blob. They looked and saw that the Venom monster had disappeared. The creature went down the tunnel after it, but seized up and fell over in the water. It didn't get up.

Ben's voice was music to Peter's ears.

"_Hey Spidey? What's goin' on down dere?" _

"_Hold on, Ben. Package coming up."_

He grabbed his savior by the arm and lifted him up. He was unconscious. He moved him to the ladder that led to the surface, and noticed a naked man lying on the walkway.

"_Eddie!" _

Within minutes they were all on the surface. Ben talked into his wristwatch communicator.

"_Hey, Reed?" _

Reed Richards replied.

"_Hey Ben. What's up?" _

"_I need an evac over here right now." _

"_How many?" _

He looked at Spider-Man.

"_Can you swing?" _

"_Yeah, I'm fine." _

"_Uh, myself and two passengers." _

"_On my way, Ben."_

"_Oh, and uh, bring some uh yer test tubes and stuff. Yer gonna want a sample of this _

_stuff. And call a clean-up crew while your at it. We got a real nasty mess down here."_


	4. Crime & Punishment

**CHAPTER FOUR**

He knew the city. Every back alley, every subway station, every seedy bar. He traveled it daily, mapping it out in his head from the sound waves bouncing from surface to surface. His radar sense had also afforded him great control over his other senses, like touch. He leapt from one rooftop to the next like a trained gymnast. He was Matt Murdock: Attorney at Law. But at the moment he was his alter-ego: Daredevil. He fought for justice on the streets and in the court room, using the enhanced senses he gained from losing his eyesight as a child and the years of law school he owed to his father's final wish. He was flying through the alleys of New York City back toward his home. He had just had a run-in with some crooks and had an assist from Spider-Man. He was due in court in… he checked his studded watch with his fingers… one hour! He smelled Leonardo's Pizzeria down the street. He was almost home. He used his baton, which doubled as a walking cane, to keep the sound waves flowing in a trail for him to follow along the buildings, until he finally reached the roof of his loft. He found the door on the roof, and scanned it for the angel architecture along the side of the door and found it. He found the box next to the door that contained the three turning locks and opened it. He spun them until he heard the clicks of the latch and slammed them to a stop.

He opened the door and walked quickly down the stairs, removing his leather costume as he did so. He had never actually seen it, but he knew it was a dark crimson red, and had a nice pair of horns on the head. Close enough to a devil. He found the suit he had laid out earlier. He went on emergency patrol when he heard about the meteor. But the city had been strangely quiet for a crisis like this. It wasn't every day New York was hit by meteors. But it didn't matter now. He had his suit on and grabbed his suitcase. He had to get a cab over to his office to meet with his business partner, Franklin "Foggy" Nelson. They were due in court by 7:30, and it was… almost 7:00 now! He ran down the stairs to the street and listened for a taxi. He heard the clicking off a cash machine resetting in a car down the street and ran toward it. He heard the engine running and could smell the electricity running through the sign. He stepped into the cab.

"_Murdock/Nelson Law Firm."_

"_You got it."_

The taxi took off. Usually he didn't like riding in cars. The sounds of the engine and other traffic made him dizzy. But within minutes they stopped in front of the building.

"_$8.40, pal."_

"_Actually, can you wait here for a few minutes? This is just a stop."_

"_Yeah, yeah, whatever."_

He walked in and extended his cane and tapped it against his secretary's desk as he passed. Ms. Karen Page had to be one of the sweetest girls he knew. Too sweet for him.

"_Morning Matt."_

"_Morning Karen."_

"_Foggy's waiting up the stairs."_

He climbed the stairs to the office. Foggy's voice was all too familiar.

"_Finally, jeez. You need a watch with an alarm on it or something. Something that actually rings out the time."_

He heard Foggy's shoes pass by and followed him down the stairs and out the door into the taxi. He heard Karen wish them luck under her breath. They'd need it. It took about five minutes before Foggy had to say something.

"_Why, Matt? Why did you take this case? We can't win! He can't help this guy! We'd need a professional lawyer… like Jennifer Walters! Why, Matt? Just tell me why."_

"_Because I believe in second chances."_

"_And do you also believe in _forty-_second chances? Matt this guy has been busted dozens of times, and convicted!"_

"_I didn't mean second chances at the law. I meant second chances at life. The man has been through horrible, traumatic experiences. At the very least we should be able to negotiate a plea of insanity." _

The car went silent.

He was lying. And he knew Foggy wasn't. He honestly didn't think he could

possibly defend this man. They had known each other as children, but they disagreed on so many things, they didn't stay friends long after middle school. He knew about all the terrible things that had happened. His older family rejected him because he chose the military over the pulpit. He had been through Vietnam, and then the slaying of his family. It reminded him of his own father. Both brutally murdered by mobsters. Even at their points for revenge they took different paths. He believed that the law would prevail in the end, which is why he became a lawyer. He didn't know what he planned to do. He knew he wasn't crazy, but if he could open the jury's mind to the possibility, he could get a lighter sentence. He hadn't killed anyone except convicted or alleged criminals. But it was still murder.

He didn't know what he would do. Maybe in the deepest part of his mind, he believed he was right; that the only way to truly stop criminals was to kill them. He had walked that path once. But he couldn't stand being looked at as a monster. He couldn't keep killing. So he worked _with_ the law.

He felt the car slow down and heard the fair counter click. He heard talking outside the car, followed by cameras clicking. He heard Foggy's door open. He stepped out and immediately the wave of sound from the reporters gave him a splitting headache. You'd think they'd have the good sense to keep the volume down around a blind person. Everyone knew the loss of one sense dramatically increased the others, especially in his case. They never got press like this, so Foggy was living it up. He charged through the sea of sound and up the steps into the courthouse. The last question he heard before going through the door echoed within him like footsteps in the large halls of the courthouse. He even asked himself. Why are you defending the Punisher?

* * *

He had been running over the previous nights events in his mind. He had cut the alarm, killed the guards, cut the power, killed everyone inside, all within 15 minutes. And the cops were still able to get there before he escaped. Either he was getting worse, or the cops were getting better. Both were possibilities. He had barely made it down the street in the van before he was swarmed. He never fired on cops, so now he was cooling his heels in a small cell in a district lock-up. His guns had been confiscated, along with his armor, knives, and van. The only thing they hadn't taken was the death's head shirt off his back. He was hoping the craziness of the meteor everyone was talking about would allow him a few more days to figure out how to get out, but no such luck. They were smart. They had used a chemical to numb up his hands, so he couldn't pick the handcuffs. That was a new one.

He was sitting at a table in one of the meeting rooms in the court house. He sat there for about twenty minutes before they came in. Two of them. One of them he knew. The other was a nobody. He recognized Matt Murdock. He had been his lawyer a dozen times, even though he never won. It wasn't like he had a chance anyway. The second was probably Murdock's partner. He asked him to leave them alone. Suited him fine. He stayed outside the door and Murdock sat down on the opposite side of the table. Then he had to go and start a dialogue.

"_Go home, Murdock."_

"_No, Frank. I'm the only chance you've got."_

"_I don't have a chance. You're wasting your time."_

"_We're going to try and get you an insanity plea…"_

"_No. I'd rather go back to Rykers. Take 'em all down from the inside. Maybe pop some of _

_the zits I missed last time."_

Murdock pulled off his glasses and rubbed his forehead. He actually stared at him with those cold, blue, lifeless blind eyes.

"_Why do you do it, Frank? Why can't you just give up and join the law?"_

"_Because joining the law is giving up. How many murderers do you try, and they still go free? How many thugs and mooks do you have to go out every night and bring in week after week, and still not get a conviction? The system doesn't work, Matt. It's like a band-aid on a severed arm."_

"_But that's what the judges are for! Educated people deciding wrong from right and giving everyone a fair trial. People change Frank. The world doesn't stay the same like you do. It isn't just black and white like that skull on your shirt. And humanity isn't perfect. There will always be those who break the law. It's inevitable. No matter how severe you make the punishment."_

"_Maybe. But it's not my job to judge humanity. Just those who lack it. But until the either the day I die or the day when there's no more evil in the world, it's my war. And mine alone. It's all I have left, and I owe it to them. And every other family in the world to make the monsters go away forever, until there aren't any more. Even if that means I follow them in the end."_

He didn't usually bare his soul like that. No one to bare it to, he supposed. Going to Rykers was like a field trip for him. Murdock put his glasses back on. He looked at the clock and saw that it was 7:23; almost time for the trial. Murdock didn't comment back, so he just sat there. A guard came in.

"_It's time. Let's go."_

The nobody was waiting outside. The guard got three guys to haul him out of the room and keep an eye on him.

He had fallen asleep. He hadn't gotten any the night before. He was a light sleeper, so when they called his name he was wide awake. The prosecutor was going over evidence. This guy was an amateur. He had brought in the guns he had used during the assault and waved them around, pointing out his fingerprints. He put it on the table and he heard the clank through the plastic. The gun was still loaded. Apparently evidence tampering was so strict they had simply bagged everything.

The prosecutor was going over bullet matches when a scream echoed from the hallway, followed by gunfire. The whole court room was in panic when a huge black thing flew through the doors. They had long craniums and tails, with claws and spikes covering their bodies. Everyone screamed and ran for cover. Three more of those things came through the doors, one with an arm in it's claws. The two guards stationed inside went back and shot at them, but were torn apart before getting a hit.

He leaped over the table and grabbed his revolver, pulling it out of the bag. Murdock and his partner were trying to push everyone out the other doors. One of the monsters tackled a straggler before he got a shot off. A headshot wasn't difficult against these things. It's head ruptured sending blood across the wall. And it proceeded to burn through it. What the fuck were these things made of? The victim was able to get up and shed his shirts before the acid could get to him, and joined the remainder of the court outside.

Two more creatures came in and he emptied his load into them. He heard a window break behind him and looked back in time to be clobbered. It leaked saliva on him as it's lips chattered. It opened it's mouth and he saw another inside. It had pinned his arms and legs, so he couldn't move.

"_You are an _ugly _motherf…"_

It's tongue-mouth extended out at him, but someone had grabbed it's tail and smashed it against the witness stand. He was bleeding from small claw marks on his arms. Move through the pain. He looked up and saw Luke Cage standing over him. He was apparently the one who had saved him.

"_What the hell is goin' on in here?"_

"_Break me loose!"_

He held up the cuffs and let him rip them off clean. He crawled over to the evidence desk and picked up his Mac-11 and semi-automatic. He looked and saw Cage pushing the monsters back through the door with a bench, but they were piling up.

"_Move!"_

Cage looked back at him and jumped out of the way. He opened up on every one of them. The speed and volume of the bullets tore through them like Swiss cheese.

"_Watch out for the blood!"_

Cage noticed it burning through the wood around him and jumped down next to him. He was running out of bullets and they were still coming in. It was a good thing he had a spare suit back at the base. He dropped the smoking empty guns.

"_We need to get the fuck outta here!"_

"_You think?"_

Cage slammed his fist into the walk, knocking it down.

"_We'll draw them away from the innocents."_

He followed him through the hole out onto the street. The creatures were nowhere to be seen. He expected a full-on feeding frenzy. S.H.I.E.L.D. was already here and securing the area. He tried to run away, but Cage caught him by the arm. He needed to get back to his base and pick up some heavy-duty equipment. He turned around and looked at him.

"_Look Cage I've got to get my… Fury?"_

It was Col. Nick Fury. He didn't expect to see him here.

"_Nice to see you too, Castle. Heard you were getting tried again, so I dropped by."_

He hated sarcasm.

"_Mind coming with me?"_

Fury led him into an armored car.

"_Hey, Fury!"_

Nick looked back.

"_The hell am _I_ 'sposed to do?"_

"_Lead the men, Cage! Get the people outta here!"_

He closed the door and they drove away. Fury was wearing full S.H.I.E.L.D. armor. Apparently the situation was worse elsewhere.

'_Taking me to Rykers, Fury?"_

"_Nothin' left for ya at Rykers. Everyone's dead. We've got a full-scale invasion on our hands."_

"_What do you want from me?"_

Fury lit a cigar an handed him an assault rifle.

"_Ready to serve your country again, Castle?"_

They both cocked their weapons.

"_Always. But we need to make a pit stop first."_


	5. A Common Enemy

**CHAPTER FIVE**

He had been waiting for about 45 minutes. Mr. Fantastic had picked them up in the Fantasticar and brought them back to the lab at the Baxter building. Mr. F had been looking over DNA samples for a while before he finally came back out. Pete had been waiting in the lounge.

"_Spider-Man?"_

He got up and followed Mr. F into the lab. Both the creature he had saved and Eddie were lying on tables with their vitals hooked up to machines.

"_What's up with Eddie Mr. F?"_

"_Your friend's body is suffering due to separation from the Symbiote. His mind isn't doing well, either. We can keep him alive, but it may be a week before he'll be strong enough to move."_

He had held hopes that he would one day be able to see his friend Eddie again, without the murderous Symbiote attached. They had been good friends once. Now he knew that would never happen if Eddie couldn't function without Venom. He turned his attention toward the creature.

"_And, what's up with this guy?"_

Mr. F walked to the other side of the table to his work desk. He followed and looked at all the data he had collected.

"_He is apparently an extra-terrestrial. I took a blood sample. He's carbon-based, like us. His body and bone structure are very similar to ours, but far superior. From what I can gather, he breathes slightly more oxygen than we do, which is why he wears this mask."_

He tapped the metal cover over the thing's face.

"_Wow. Is he friendly?"_

"_Well assuming that he really intended to save your life down in the sewer, we can speculate so."_

"_Is he going to be alright?"_

"_His healing factor is much greater than ours, and I've patched him up as well as I could, so he should be conscious soon.."_

Jeez. First those lizard-monsters, then a Venom-monster, now this guy? Why did all the crazy stuff have to happen in New York? Why couldn't it be Ohio, or Arizona? He looked along the table at the weapons the creature had.

"_And what's with the toys?"_

Mr. F pulled a rubber glove over his hand and picked up the whip thing it had saved him with. He extended it and retracted it.

"_It's very flexible, durable, and obviously sharp. From what I can gain from the computer, it is a light type of adamantium ore. I can't find any of the other elements in the periodic table."_

He set the whip down and moved over to what looked like a small cannon.

"_His species is obviously much more advanced than ours. This weapon uses quantum mechanics to focus ions and create a powerful blast, as far as I can tell. I'll just say it: I've never seen anything like this guy before."_

Mr. F put the gun down and began scratching his head. He took his glove off just as Ben walked through the door.

"_Great. More aliens. First the Skrull, the Kree, that impossible guy, and now these bozos."_

"_Ben. How are Sue and Franklin?"_

"_Dere hold up in da shelter. I thought I'd see how you fellas were doin."_

"_Good. Oh, and I've looked at the samples from those creatures in the alley."_

Mr. F stretched his arm across the room and retrieved a glass jar. The green blood was floating around in it.

"_This is apparently blood, but how that's possible I have no idea. I've never encountered such a powerful acid."_

"_How strong is it?"_

"_Watch."_

Mr. F picked up a metal tong and dipped it in the water. He pulled it out quickly to see it dissolving faster than believable. He placed the tong in the water, careful not to spill any of it.

"_If I hadn't mixed it in with the water, it would have eaten through the glass already. This stuff could eat through an entire human body in maybe thirty minutes. I took a scan of their skeletal structure as well."_

Mr. F moved over to large computer screen on the wall. He pressed his finger against it, bringing up the file. It was a 3-D rendering of the monsters.

"_Okay, so spikes: check. Huge claws: check. Sharp teeth: double check. And a long razor-edged tail: check. Your typical menace from space."_

"_Indeed. Their physical characteristics suggest that this is a highly dangerous predator. And the shape of the tail lets us assume an ability to swim. Their silicon-based. And the lack of sexual organs suggest that it is part of a colony; a group of workers serving the single egg-producing queen."_

"_So you're sayin' dere's more of 'em out dere."_

Mr. F nodded solemnly. Crap. he knew what that meant. That meant that they would have to hunt down all the other things, find the colony, and kill the queen. As if his life didn't suck enough today. He needed to get back to MJ & Aunt May before they started worrying about him. He heard something moving behind him and moved over to the creature he had saved. It was moving.

* * *

He woke up with a start. He couldn't move. He struggled as hard as he could. He felt the surface he was laying on turning upward. Thankfully his mask was still functioning. He saw that he was in a bright room; a laboratory. In front of him he saw the red and blue being he had seen earlier. Now he remembered. He had fought with Venom against the Xenomorphs. He remembered chasing the last one down that had captured Venom, and apparently stripped the Symbiote from it's host.

He remembered his stealth tech had kicked in just in time to avoid being stabbed to death. He cut through the sticky web with his disc and hid, hoping to catch the Veno-morph by surprise, until the red and blue being had interfered, forcing him to rescue it. Next to it he saw another human wearing blue, with a numeric symbol on it's chest. He noticed his weapons on the lab table, and broke from his restraints. He must escape here. He didn't chase the Xenomorphs across the universe, attempting to save a civilization, just to end up a scientist project!

He pushed past the two beings aside and grabbed for his whip before he was grabbed from behind by something very large and orange. It spoke.

"_Hold up dere, E.T."_

He reached his wrist and activated the defense device on his control panel, which released an electric shock in such close quarters with another being. He managed to escape the creature's grip and take back his weapons. He armed his cannon, replaced his disc in it's holster, and held out his whip menacingly. The red and blue being stepped forward to help the large orange one who had grabbed him.

"_Ben, are you alright?"_

He noticed the symbol on it's torso. It was similar to that of Venom. Perhaps this one could be an ally too? He spoke as well as he could in the human language.

"_Venom?"_

The three beings looked shocked, before the red and blue one replied. It pointed to itself and spoke.

"_Spider-Man. Friend."_

Friend. He had heard that word before. Before Venom was taken he offered his hand and referred to him as "friend." When "Spider-Man" took no further action, he slowly lowered his whip and extended his hand just as Venom had. Spider-Man extended it's hand as well, and grasped his, slowly moving it up and down.

"_Okay, cool. Friends." _

It pointed to itself again.

"_Me: Spider-Man."_

Then it pointed at him. He was trying to communicate. These beings were smarter than he thought. His real name was probably too complex to translate. He had a limited knowledge of the human language. It had become required studying now to have at least a slight grasp of the language of certain planets. He thought. What was the term for a race like his? Killer? Soldier? Hunter? Hunter sounded right, so he spoke as well as he could after pointing at himself.

"_Hunter."_

He looked over and saw a 3-D model of the Xenomorphs on the computer screen next to him. He pointed to it, and made a crushing motion with his hand.

* * *

He couldn't believe what he was doing. He was talking to an alien. A real alien. He had met the Silver Surfer, but this was straight out of a monster movie, or a comic book. Hunter, eh? Well at least it wasn't hunting them. He looked back at Mr. F, who was talking to Ben.

"_Go to Sue and keep her safe."_

Ben left without a word.

"_Are you taping this, Mr. F?"_

He snapped out of his fixation on the alien and pointed to a small silver camera globe on the ceiling. He looked back at the Hunter and noticed it handling the jar with the blood in in. He almost said "be careful," but didn't want to offend. The Hunter picked up his own blood sample from the table and mixed the two together. He watched as the mixture smoked and steamed, before quieting down and settling. The Hunter stuck it's finger, claw, thing, into the water and pulled it out, completely unharmed. He heard Mr. F talk behind him.

"_Of course! The alien blood is an incredible acid, and our friend's blood is an incredible base. They cancel each other out!"_

Fantastic. But now he needed a name for the aliens. He was sure they had one. He pointed to the 3-D model. The Hunter responded in it's broken English.

"_Xe-no-morph."_

Okay. The aliens were called Xenomorphs. He could live with that. Just then his heart skipped a few beats when the phone rang in the lab. The Hunter drew it's whip out again before he held out his hands.

"_Wait!"_

He heard Mr. F put the phone on speaker.

"_Yes?"_

A familiar and cheery voice replied.

"_Reed! Hey, it's Tony. You get a load of some of these party favors from the meteor?"_

"_Uh, yes. We're talking to one right now."_

"_Really. That's nice. Fury gave me a ring a few minutes ago. He wants everyone to meet at the S.H.I.E.L.D. facility at midnight. And it's… about 8:00, so just a heads up."_

"_Uh, thank you, Tony."_

"_You need some help over there? You don't sound too good."_

Mr. F's voice was kind of squeaky with nerves. He cleared his throat and replied.

"_No, we should be fine. We'll see you there."_

He heard Mr. F hang up the phone. The Hunter looked at the supercomputer beneath the Xenomorph rendering, and slowly removed it's mask.


	6. Old Flames

**CHAPTER SIX**

She was angry. She and Scott had just had another argument. They heard about the meteor heading for New York City, and Logan had called the day before saying that's where he was. She wanted to go check on him. But Scott got defensive on her, giving her that attitude she knew so well, and hated so much. Her telepathy picked up on his negative feelings, but his mental wall was up, so she couldn't read him. She decided to go anyway. Jubilee wanted to go to, just to see the city, and a massive event like the meteor was sure to drive prices down. Storm was off enjoying her honeymoon with the Black Panther in his kingdom in Africa, and nobody else needed to go, so the two went alone.

They were in the Blackbird now, heading toward the city. She hoped Logan was alright. He always was, but she still worried. She never really admitted it, but something about him attracted her. Her telepathy didn't work through phone lines, but she could hear something in his voice when he called. She was driving to avoid talking to anyone.

They were coming up on the city.

"_Strap in."_

Jubilee came up front and took the co-pilot's chair. They fastened their seatbelts as she took the Blackbird down in Central Park, next to the aqueduct. She turned the stealth cloak on before shutting the engines off. They all unbuckled and headed for the ramp in the back. They should be able to blend in. She was wearing her street clothes and the only noticeable thing about Jubilee was her long yellow jacket and green wrap-around glasses.

"_Alright. We're here."_

Jubilee screamed in excitement. She hadn't been to New York on casual business before. It was a nice break from the mansion.

"_Sweeeet. New York City!"_

Jubilee had pressed the ramp button and was already down the stairs when Jean got out of her seat. She stepped out and noticed Jubilee staring at something.

"_What is it?"_

"_Out there in the water."_

She pointed out at the edge of the water across from them. A large hunk of metal was sitting at the water's edge. It was black, like it was burnt. She was getting some strange psi-waves off of it too. She really didn't want to get into anything today, so she just closed up the jet and started walking toward the street.

"_It's probably just a hunk of scrap somebody left here. Let's go."_

After a few minutes she heard Jubilee walking behind her.

"_So, where are we going first?"_

"_We're going to find Logan."_

"_Cool. Hunting down the Wolverine."_

They had finally reached the street and she hailed a cab. When it stopped they both climbed in.

"_Where can I take you two girls today?"_

She searched her thoughts. Where would Logan be in New York City? She remembered something about a bar in Clinton.

"_Know any good bars in Clinton?"_

"_Hell's Kitchen? The only decent bar I know of down there is, uh… Josie's Bar."_

That was it. Logan was always trying to drag her to Josie's Bar.

"_That's the one."_

"_Okay Mizz, Josie's Bar it is."_

The cab pulled away quickly and began speeding down the street. She began staring off into space as they passed building after building. She thought of Logan. He was a tough guy. Crude. The typical bad boy she'd been taught to avoid, but just couldn't help being attracted to. He could be sweet when he wanted to. He was just a big teddy bear. _What?_ Teddy bear? She realized that these weren't her thoughts. Where could…? She turned and looked over at Jubilee. She was staring off into space too. She chuckled, which Jubilee couldn't hear through her earphones.

* * *

It was times like this when he wished his healing factor didn't cancel out alcohol. He had been there, drinking and playing pool for a few hours now. He got to Josie's just as Ben Grimm had left. He was a good drinking buddy, until he had to drag his rocky hide to a cab. He'd already gotten bored with pool and darts. Even the hourly wet t-shirt contests couldn't pep him up. He hated it when he couldn't do anything. Right now he was finishing a mug of his favorite brand: Wild Turkey. One of the bar maids circled back to him.

"'_Nother round, Logan?"_

"_No thanks, darlin'."_

The phone rang just as he answered. The girl picked up the phone.

"_Hello, Josie's Bar. Lacey Speaking."_

His ears picked up the other end of the call.

"_Hello. Is there a Logan there?"_

"_Last name?"_

He knew it was Jean and waved the girl over. She brought the phone and he answered.

"_Afternoon, Red. Shouldn't you be at school?"_

"_I just came to check up on you."_

Either the beer had actually started working for time in decades, or he heard something else in her voice.

"_Ah, you know me. Nothing an indestructible skeleton & healing factor can't fix."_

He heard another familiar voice at the end of the line. It was Jubilee, his unofficial "sidekick." Sometimes he swore that girl was obsessed with him.

"_So do you want to meet somewhere else?"_

"_Why?"_

"_So we can keep an eye on the kid."_

"_Oh, right."_

"_So?"_

"_How about Roosevelt Hospital?"_

He became puzzled and alarmed.

"_Something wrong?"_

"_No, I just know a good coffee shop near there. And you sound like you could use a cup."_

He hated coffee. Didn't do the job a cold shower could. But he hadn't seen Jean in a while, so what the hell.

"_Sounds good to me."_

"_Alright. We're heading down Broadway right now. See you there."_

She hung up pretty quick. It was no secret among the X-Men that he had a thing for Jean. He always denied it with a flash of adamantium. But he couldn't hide it from himself. He had spent her entire wedding ceremony in the Danger Room slashing up Cyclops clones. Their rivalry wasn't exactly privileged information either. He always thought Cyclops wasn't good enough for her. He was a stuck-up boy scout. But he didn't want to be in a bad mood when he met her, so he forgot about Slim. He picked his jacket up off the bar and waved back.

"Seeya, Josie."

As he was leaving through the door, a news report caught his ears. He whirled back around to look at the TV suspended above the bar.

"_This is Caroline Short here with breaking news." _

He recognized her. She was the broad he kicked off the docks. She really got around.

"_S.H.I.E.L.D. is asking for an immediate evacuation of the area West of Central Park and North of the meat packing district . Again, S.H.I.E.L.D. is asking all citizens in or around the Clinton, Chelsea, & Lincoln Square areas to evacuate to the East side of the island. Strange black creatures have been sighted in the area and should be considered extremely…"_

That was all he needed to hear. He raced outside. He couldn't make it there in time on foot, so he hopped on one of the motorcycles parked out front. When he couldn't find a key, he extended his middle claw and hot-wired the bike. He immediately sped down the street on the bike. What if Jean and Jubilee… He didn't want to think about it. He gunned the bike harder down the street as fast as he could, using his enhanced senses to weave through traffic.

"_Hang on Jean…" _

* * *

"_Come on! Move it ya stupid prick!"_

Wonderful language in front of a teenager. But Jubilee was probably used to it. And she couldn't hear it through those headphones anyway. She felt excited. She hadn't seen Logan in a few months, and she was eager to see him. They didn't always talk consistently, but it was fun just hanging out him. Something always happened that would make him lose his shirt, and she'd get to see those big, strong, toned muscles. She must've been hearing Jubilee's thoughts again. She mentally listened in her direction, but found nothing but the lyrics to the music she was listening to. This time they were her own thoughts. She didn't want to believe it.

She shouldn't be thinking this way. She's _married _for Pete's sake. To Scott. He isn't perfect. Well, no man is. Not even Logan. They were like two halves of the whole of a perfect man. Logan was adventurous, tough, and crude. He had attitude. But he could be sweet at some times. Scott, on the other hand, was always sweet. He was strong, determined, and he always stayed on task. She came out of her thoughts and realized that the car hadn't been moving. They were stuck in a traffic jam, and the fare counter was still clicking. Twenty-five dollars was high enough. She shook Jubilee out of her music dream state and stepped out of the car. She paid the driver and She and Jubilee began walking down the street.

"_You think after we meet Logan we can go shopping? My roller blades are getting pretty _

_tight. And then there's clothes too."_

She didn't think Logan would want to go shopping. Suddenly she heard gunfire…and screaming coming from down the street. They weren't far from the intersection.

"_What was that?"_

"_I don't know."_

People on the sidewalk were screaming and running past them. She grabbed Jubilee's hand and ducked into an alley. She stuck her head out to look down the street. Then she saw them. Black monsters. They looked like the Brood; an alien group the X-Men had fought before. But they weren't insect-like. They were more reptilian. People were being attacked left and right. Blood and flesh flayed from bone. She felt sick, but she held it down. She heard a gasp and a whimper and looked back to see that Jubilee was watching too. She pulled her back down the alley. Jubilee was an X-Man, but she was still just a girl. She was only sixteen. No one should see horrors like that at that age. She thought about going out and helping those people, but Jubilee was her first priority. They had to get away from here quickly.

"_Alright. When I say, we're going to run down the opposite way of the street. Okay?"_

"_What about Logan?"_

"_He can take care of himself."_

At least she hoped he could. They had never fought these things before. Who knows what they could do. She led Jubilee to the end of the alley. She looked out and saw that most of the people were gone, and creatures were moving slowly, exploring. She looked closely at one of them. They had no eyes that she could see. She stretched her mind out to one of them. _Kill, feed, kill, spread, kill, serve Queen. _She had never felt a mind so terrible and driven to destroy. She squeezed Jubilee's hand.

"_One… two…"_

She pulled out her cell phone to call the police, but her shaking hands dropped it. She didn't dare reach down to pick it up. The creatures were getting closer.

"_Three!"_

They took off running down the street. She looked back and saw a few of the creatures following them. She noticed a flash and heard screeching and looked back again. Jubilee had used her "firework" powers to buy them some time. They kept running, but they couldn't hold out forever. More were following, so she used her telekinesis to throw things in their path. But they were still coming. They were climbing over the cars and the other side of the street. She was barely able to breathe and she could hear Jubilee breathing hard too.

She found another alleyway and ducked down it. It was a dead end, but it was too late to go back out. They were surrounded. One of them came up to the opening and she blasted it away with her telekinesis. More surrounded them and Jubilee joined in. They just kept coming. She didn't know how long they could hold them off.


	7. The Animal Wakes, Enter the Wolverine

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

He sped down the street at top speed. The intersection was just up ahead, and there was a traffic jam. Maybe they were still a street away. The sidewalks were too slim for him to ride the bike through. He'd have to run from here. As he slowly reduced his speed, he saw two creatures. They were long and black, like typical movie monsters. And they sure as hell _smelled_ like aliens. They saw him coming, despite not having eyes that he could see. These things must be what all the fuss is about. He'd taken out aliens before, and recently. This would be no different.

He sped up, driving toward the creatures at 70 mph. Two more appeared on top of the cars and leapt at him. He turned the bike hard, so that it slid on it's side as he jumped off into the air. He held his arms wide and extended his six best friends. Time seemed to slow down. The two creatures on the ground were crushed by the motorcycle, and he cleaved the airborne pair in half. He landed in a roll and stop in a kneel. He got up as more creatures appeared over the cars and started surrounding him.

"_This is when things get fun."_

He leaped at two that were approaching him, impaling them both. He whipped around as he heard one come from behind, slicing it's approaching tail off. It screamed as hard adamantium cut through it's throat. He was tackled to the ground by another one. His claws met it's face before he rolled out from beneath it. He stood up and saw the last two fleeing down the manhole in the middle of the traffic jam. He thought about following them, but heard something in the distance. Flashes. Explosions, like cherry bombs. It was coming from the other street on the intersection.

"_Jean! Jubilee!"_

He tried to retract his claws, but felt an intense burning and left them out. He looked down to see his claws covered in green goop; the aliens' blood. But it was smoking, and his knuckles felt like they were on fire. A chemical burn. He looked down at his clothes and noticed they were dissolving too!

"_Shit!"_

He ran over to a hydrant next to the street and sliced the top open. A high-pressure jet of water exploded out & he ran his hands through it. When the goop was gone he took off his jacket and threw it in the jet, letting it get blasted. He felt burning on his back and tore the shirt off too. He sliced the side of the hydrant off and showered himself in the new jet. That shit hurt! What the hell were these things made of?! Apparently the water was able to get the acid off, because he stopped feeling the burn as his healing factor started working. Jean's scent caught his nose and he left his shirt & jacket on the ground to follow the scent down an alley. He sniffed furiously. He found Jean's cell phone lying on the ground and picked it up. It was still warm and thick with her scent. He saw more flashes coming from just up the street & followed them.

"_Hang on! I'm comin' for ya, kid!"_

* * *

They had held up well up to now. They were coming from everywhere! She and Jubilee had been backed up against the dead end of the alley, trying to keep the creatures at bay. They were coming down from the walls, as well as down the alley. Their numbers seemed limitless! On the bright side, Jubilee's fireworks seemed able to burn through them. Her own powers weren't so effective. She could only blast them away and hope they wouldn't get up.

One was climbing down a fire escape after them, and she tossed it into an oncoming group. Jubilee had her hands shaped like pistols, firing one blast after another, slowly taking them out. She felt the Phoenix Force building up inside her. That would take care of them. But she couldn't control it. She might hurt Jubilee. She mustered her strength and pulled the dumpster on the side of the wall across the alley, crushing the last two. When no more appeared, she breathed a sigh of relief. She looked over at Jubilee and saw her smiling back. She smiled too.

Her telepathy flared like a warning signal: _Kill females! Serve Queen!_ She had barely had time to dodge before a huge black tail swung down from the wall above and crashed through the wall. She and Jubilee backed away and looked up at another monster. But this one had white markings on it's head and torso. It was also much larger than the others had been. It flicked it's tongue constantly and spat a long black web from it's mouth, catching jubilee on the chest. She tried to push Jubilee back but the creature was too fast; it reeled her in up to it. Jubilee fired several fireworks upward at the monster, but it moved out of the way, letting the sparks sail into the sky and explode harmlessly. Jean grabbed the monster's tail with her telekinesis and forced it to cut it's own web line. Jubilee fell before Jean caught her and set her down against a wall. She turned to look back, but was smacked aside by it's tail into a wall. Her head was spinning and pounding. She couldn't stand up, and her vision was blurry. She heard the creature scream as it climbed down the wall toward them. They couldn't fight it. It was too strong. She tried to run, but couldn't stand. Then she heard a voice coming from the street.

"_Shouldn' a done that, bub."_

She heard the familiar sound of sliding adamantium and felt extreme relief. Logan! Thank God. She shook her head clear and saw Logan leap past her at the monster. He tackled it to the ground. She hobbled over to Jubilee and helped her up, both leaning against the wall. She watched as Wolverine slashed at the monster, green blood splashing along the ground. She heard Jubilee's thoughts again. _Get him, Wolvie! _They were both still too weak to help as it grabbed him with it's tail and threw him upward into the fire escape, which rattled against the hit.

He fell to the ground in a puddle of water. He tried to get up, but was kicked into the wall. He stood up against it and attempted to tackle it, but he was pinned to the wall by it's tail through the flesh under his shoulder. He screamed in pain, as she had heard all those times when he woke up from a nightmare in the mansion. The creature extended it's tongue like a razor, stabbing Logan in the chest. It screamed along with him; it had struck his unbreakable chest plate. It snapped two more times, both hitting the adamantium. Finally it stabbed him through the chest under his lungs. She watched in horror as she saw a bulge flow through the tongue.

Jubilee fired a flash toward the monster, burning it. It screamed it's high screech and pulled it's tongue out, lashing it back and forth. She mustered the last of her power and threw a pair of full garbage cans at it. It dropped Logan and ran toward them, knocking jubilee away, it's tongue extended. She saw the horrible jawed mouth at the end of it's tongue before she shut her eyes. Nothing happened. She opened them again and stared into the creature's mouth, it's tongue had fallen limp. It fell to the ground. She looked up and saw Logan standing there, the three holes in his chest slowly healing. He could barely stand. She saw the green blood dripping from his claws. He fell to his knees and dipped his blades into the puddle he had fallen into before flaying the blood from himself. He picked up a piece of a pipe and slid it along his claws, scraping away the leftovers. He retracted them and stood up slowly, walking over to her. He pulled her phone out of his pocket.

"_I believe this is yours?"_

She took it from him and smiled. He smiled back. She hadn't seen a smile on his face in a long time. Jubilee slowly got up from the trash bags she had been thrown into & moaned. She felt an upward yank on her arm and ended up in Logan's embrace. Their eyes locked for a moment. She wanted to kiss him. Hug him. Wrap her arms around him and she could see that he wanted that too. But she didn't. She pulled away and backed into the wall, as much as she didn't want to. Their gaze broke.

"_Uh… are you… are you okay?"_

She replied weakly.

"_Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine._

She didn't ask how he was. He was always okay. She stood their, letting the awkward

silence take it's toll until finally Jubilee joined them.

"_Hellooooo? I'm fine too!"_

Thank God. She looked at Jubilee standing in front of her. She looked around and made sure there was no serious injury. Logan breathed heavily before speaking.

"_Let's get the hell outta here."_

She felt bad for letting go. Jubilee almost fell, so she grabbed her shoulder and supported her twisted ankle.

"_Logan."_

He looked back at her.

"_Thank you."_

Jubilee looked over and spoke to her as they limped down the alley behind Logan.

"_He always seems to lose his shirt, doesn't he?"_

Jubilee smiled. How did she…? Those _were_ Jubilee's thoughts back in the cab. She felt relieved. But only slightly. She didn't know how she felt toward Logan anymore. As they stood on the threshold of the alley, she was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard a terrible screech approaching from down the alley. She turned around and saw the monster charging on them again. She couldn't move; She was holding Jubilee and Logan was too far ahead of them. As the creature approached she saw a beam of blue light flash over her head, smashing the creature to the ground. She turned around and saw Iron Man landing in front of them. He fired an orb at the creature, which trapped it in a larger orb.

"_That should do it."_

Wolverine snarled.

"_Bout time Iron head."_

"_Hey, I'd have never found you if not for the lightshow I saw here a few minutes ago. I _

_was halfway across the city."_

She saw a S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle pull up next to them. Colonel Nick Fury stepped out.

"_Need a lift?"_

"_Yes. Thank you."_

What a relief. They had already been through enough today. She didn't think she could help Jubilee all the way down the street. She started climbing into the truck, letting the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent inside take Jubilee. As she sat down, she noticed that all the agents were wearing full armor, and had some _very_ big guns. Wolverine started climbing in behind her.

"_Yeah, thanks Fur…agh!"_

Wolverine jack-knifed and fell to the ground, clenching his stomach. He was growling in pain. Fury stood over him and yelled into his headset.

"_Oh, Jesus H. Christ, what the hell is going on here?! Somebody get me a strong stretcher, blast it!"_

The door closed, so she reached out with her mind to Logan. She could feel his pain. It was excruciating. She saw his concern for her and Jubilee. She saw what he had done on her wedding night. When Logan finally blacked out she pulled away. As the truck started to move forward she heard Fury scream again.

"_Stark! Go see what's keeping Richards, and stop by Strange's place too. And will somebody get me a lead on Castle!"_


	8. Urban Assault, A Blind Man in the Dark

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

"_War Journal Entry, number six-eight-two. June twenty-second, two-thousand nine. Maramusa family & operation dispatched, followed by capture & escape from police custody. Encountered strange black creatures. According to Colonel Nick Fury, the creatures are aliens from the meteor that struck New York Harbor at approximately three pm today." _

Frank clicked off his audio recorder. He was in his base making another entry in his war journal. It was his way of keeping everything neat. Make an entry before and after a kill. Leave no room for error. If he died, at least he would leave something behind for someone to find.

He was wearing his Kevlar vest with his weapon straps. His signature skull painted on the chest. Maybe now the skull would become universal. He never went out without it. It was his trademark. There was a moment when he walked into a room and the scum saw the skull. All sound disappeared. Fear flashed in their eyes like sunlight off a polished car. That was usually when he started shooting.

He stood at his work bench where he had been working for the past hour. Fury had let him out on the outskirts of Clinton. He knew they'd track the weapon they gave him, so he left it behind. He needed to get back to his base, get his own tech ready. He preferred his own methods of "crime fighting."

He had strapped two 50 caliber semi-automatics and two nine millimeter Berettas to his waistline, and a pair of hand cannons to his armpit holsters. He was looking for power and accuracy. These things were fast, but their heads made easy targets. He had strapped one Ingram MAC-11 to each leg, and an M-16 to his back. Two Ka-bar knives adorned his chest holsters. Down his long pockets on both legs he had three anti-personnel mines. The switch was attached to his belt. These things didn't have eyes, so he didn't bother with flashbangs. He couldn't carry much more and still be mobile. But he still had his van.

Before Microchip had turned on him, he stuffed the place full of goodies. Squad Assault Weapons, grenade launchers, flamethrowers, and even Ol' Painless. He reached the back of his armory closet and removed a tarp from a Mini-gun he'd been saving for a special occasion.

He loaded it, all of it, into the back of his van. Steel plating on all the walls and bumpers. Bullet and shatter proof glass on the windshield. He didn't have oil slicks, or gas release, or any of that James Bond bullshit, but this thing could drive straight through Hell and come out fine. He mounted the Mini-gun to the hood and cut a hole through the windshield big enough for it to fit. Fury said to meet at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters at midnight. Plenty of time for a little night-fishing. He clicked his recorder back on.

"_Time is ten forty-two pm on June twenty-second, two-thousand nine. Heading out now. Take out as many of those alien creatures as I can. Thanks to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s advertisements on the local news, there should be no innocents left in the area. Free-range hunting. I guess Dutch wasn't crazy when he told us about the monster in South America. Heading out now. End of entry."_

He turned the recorder off and placed it on his work bench. He climbed into his van and started it up. He clicked the switch and opened the garage door, driving out as fast as he could. The door automatically shuts twenty seconds after opening. No exceptions. He turned on his radar, so he couldn't be caught by surprise. He hated surprises. There was an entire horde of those things just up ahead. He flipped on the high beams. It was them alright. It looked like they were making some kind of nest in the thick traffic. He picked his grenade launcher up from the seat next to him and fired straight into them. The majesty of a good explosion. Pretty much all there was to appreciate in 'Nam. He was used to it. They started swarming the van, so he opened up with the mini-gun. Most of them were gone in minutes. The explosion had cleared a path for him to drive through. They were everywhere; down just about every side street. His mini-gun ammo didn't last long against their numbers. He mowed them down, one by one. He noticed a pattern, moving through Clinton toward the water. He took a shortcut down an alleyway and heard a thump on his roof. He couldn't shoot through the steel, and they probably couldn't get through it either.

He was wrong. A tail came down through the roof into the passenger side. He pulled one of his Ka-bar knives and stuck it in. It couldn't pull it's tail out. He heard more land on the roof. They must be able to climb buildings. They broke through the back windows. He wasn't going any further in this thing. A tail came through his driver's side window, narrowing avoiding him. He pulled his other knife and stabbed the tail to the steering wheel. The blood was burning through the knives quickly, so he had to move. He pulled two mines from his pockets and threw them in the back with all the ammo and jammed the anti-tank tube into the gas pedal. He jumped out through the back doors and rolled into the street. The van kept going with the creatures still on it. A few jumped off when they noticed him leave. When the van was far enough away, he flipped the detonator. Ah, the majesty of explosions. Too bad about the van. He'd have to go on foot now.

He pulled his hand cannons out and fired at the two that had jumped off. They were torn apart by the huge shells. Three more leapt from a building and surrounded him. They were fast, but his Berettas were faster. Four shots each took two down, and he took an arm off the third. He fired one shot in the head. More were showing up from the West way of the street. A whole shit load of them. He was able to put his M-60 SAW on his back when he left the van. He pulled it out and let fly. The resounding _BOOM_ as each round was released was almost soothing to him. Guts and brains flew everywhere. These sons of bitches didn't stand a chance.

When the horde was reduced to a few squirming specimens he left his empty SAW behind and walked up to the group, finishing the survivors off with a round to the head. He saw a manhole in the center of the horde. The blood stopped him from proceeding, so he pulled another mine from his pocket and threw it down the hole. He ducked and set it off. The ground beneath him shook with the force of the bomb. Nothing could have survived that. Now he knew they were using the sewers to spread. The source was in the harbor, which links directly to the whole sewer system. All they need is a manhole and they can show up anywhere. Fury needed to know about this. He probably knew already. It was time to go. On foot it would take a long time to get to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ. He pulled the MAC 11's from his sides and started jogging.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Finally he was back in costume. After the creatures attacked the courthouse he had to get everyone out while Castle and Cage took them down. The police wouldn't let him leave. They needed a statement from the attack, then he narrowly avoided a charge on suspicion of aiding in Castle's escape. And then after that, he had to get Foggy home and close down the office. He had gone home immediately afterward and suited up again. He was out on patrol now, heading for the courthouse. He wanted to know where those things came from.

He was flying over the buildings, one leap at a time. His radar sense guiding him. He had heard the S.H.I.E.L.D. broadcast, so it was no surprise that the only sounds being made were coming from him. He was used to the sounds of the city letting him move without restrictions. Now he had to make sure he knew where he was going… like a real blind man. He landed on a roof. This is ridiculous. He had no idea where he was going. There was no trains, no traffic, no people, no _sound_ to guide him. For the first time since he had received his powers, he felt alone. Completely and utterly alone in the dark. But the size and texture of the roofs he had been traversing told him that he was in the business district of Clinton. No gravel on the roof, and it was pretty high up. There was no smell of pizza and dirty laundry that usually permeated the housing districts. He felt his way to the edge of the building, and smacked the fire escape. The vibrations led him down it onto the street. Definitely high enough to be the business district.

If the water and electric systems were still running, he might be able to hear them through the storm drains. He walked his way out into the street. Jackpot. He could hear it, but it was faint. He smelled gunpowder. It had been about two or three hours since the attack on the courthouse, but he could still smell the gunpowder from Castle's guns. He followed the scent like a bloodhound. The courthouse must be close; he knew he was going in the right direction. He kept following his nose, trying to stay against a building whenever possible.

After following the scent for ten or twenty minutes, he came upon the marble steps of the courthouse. He walked up the steps, using his extended baton to stay on track. He pushed the doors open and instantly felt cold. He was used to the standard New York weather, but this was different. He could taste the humidity in the air. There had to be fog around his legs. He made his way down the hall toward the court where he had been attacked, using the stone walls as a guide. He knew he was almost there. He had been in this particular courthouse several times on other cases, and knew most of the place like his own home.

He felt something squish beneath his boot. He kept moving and realized that not only was the entire hallway covered in this gunk, but it was very cold! It must've been what was producing the mist. There was nothing to conduct sound down the hallway now. All he could see was what little the squishing illuminated, which was barely a few feet ahead of him. He heard a low chattering, like a zipper being pulled up painfully slow. He whipped around, but the sound disappeared. It came from another direction, then another, and another. He turned until he was dizzy. He had forgotten which way to go. He was lost. Now the sounds were coming from all directions, but there was no squishing. He was afraid. He couldn't fight what he couldn't see. For the first time, he really couldn't see.

"_Calm down, Matt. All you need to do is focus. Block out your heartbeat, and focus on the sounds."_

He stood perfectly still and focused. He played down the rapid beating of his heart, and slowed his breathing. The chattering was coming from something… and it was moving. Wait, no two things. They were down the hallway to his left. He had never heard anything like it. Oh God. It must be the creatures. Could this goop be their doing? The chattering was getting closer and, oh Jesus, a third one, from the hallway he believed he had come from. He was surrounded, and he couldn't see his attackers. He had never fought them before, and had no idea what to expect. How could he have been so stupid to come here alone? For the first time since he was a boy, he was afraid. The Man Without Fear was gripped in terror, sweating buckets. He didn't know if he would survive.

"_Uuuuuuh!" _

At last, a familiar sound! It was a person. They sounded hurt, or trapped. He checked and made sure the sounds weren't coming from the same direction, gathered his courage, and took off running at full speed, the floor squishing beneath his boots. He heard the moaning again and again, following it down the hallways. His foot tapped something as he entered a room. He bet down and picked up… a gun. A very heavy-duty gun, too. He felt letters engraved in the side: S…H…I…E…L…D… S.H.I.E.L.D.! Oh God, the agents!

"_Hello? Who's in here?"_

He heard another moan, and moved toward the wall. He slung the gun over his back and felt the wall, covered in goop, until he found clothing; a leather jacket. He moved along until he found skin. Very muscled skin. Whoever it was replied.

"_Oooh. Murdock?"_

"_Cage?"_

"_Yeah."_

He remembered now. Luke showed up just before the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents did. He could recognize his speech patterns anywhere.

He and Luke had always shared a certain bond. Both were vigilantes who lost their families. They had fought together time and time again. So much so that Luke had even found out he was blind. And after the papers discovered Matt Murdock to be Daredevil, he denied it. Of course Luke always called him Murdock after that. He was no fool. He began tearing away the goop.

"_What happened, Luke?"_

"_Those things… they surrounded us… killed a lot of the soldiers…took the live ones away."_

He kept tearing. It was getting tougher the more he peeled away. He heard the creatures down the hall where he had left them. They were slowly getting closer.

"_Sons of bitches tried to stab me, or eat me, or something. They got some kind of stabbing tongue/mouth things. Good thing my super-tough skin held out." _

He was just about done with the goop. They were still approaching. And what about the soldiers? Were they dead? Or were they just captured like Luke? He stopped tearing when Luke starting moving.

"_Hold up, man. I got this…Haaa!"_

With a roar Luke broke himself off the wall. Oh no. The creatures must have heard him! He could hear them chirping excitedly, and getting even closer now.

"_Luke, what about the other soldiers? You said they dragged the live ones away."_

Luke brushed the last of the goop and debris off his jacket.

"_They aint alive no more. I heard 'em screamin'."_

Fair enough. It was time to go. He remembered the gun on his back and removed it, handing it to Luke.

"_Here. You can make better use of it. It's time to go. They're getting closer fast."_

Luke grabbed the gun and he heard him cock it. They began walking slowly toward the door Matt had come in from. He heard chirping coming from the back wall. He thought quickly.

"_Luke!"_

"_What?"_

That was all he needed. He fired his baton right past Luke's face to knock the creature off the ceiling behind them. Not even the dry goop carried sound very well. He was out of his element now.

He heard the beast hit the floor, followed by a slew of bullets from Luke's gun. He turned back around to face the vibration-outlined head of another creature. He felt Luke pull him back by the shoulder, and heard Luke's grunt as his fist connected with some unlucky alien body part. His back hit the wall, and he felt a fire extinguisher next to him.

"_Come on!"_

He yanked the fire extinguisher off the wall and sprayed; letting the sound open the room to his blind eyes. Luke was standing at the doorway in front of two more creatures. They kept trying to scratch him, but only managed to rip his clothes. He kicked one away and tore the other apart with the gun. Luke moved forward down the hall while he followed.

They followed down two empty hallways before they came upon a dead end. He sprayed; the creatures had sealed up the doorway with goop. He heard Luke try to punch it.

"_Shit! No luck; it's too gooey! I'd just get my arm stuck."_

He thought about it; Luke could certainly break this wall down, but that wouldn't solve the problem. And if the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had been here since the trial, there was no…the trial!

"_Luke! We need to get back to the courtroom."_

"_Sweet Christmas! Why the fuck you wanna go back in that mess?"_

"_Just trust & lead!"_

He heard Luke grumble in agreement. He followed him down the goop-covered hallways. Thankfully they didn't run into any more. They must've all been below. They arrive back in the court, and Matt used the fire extinguisher to find his way back to the evidence desk. He felt around for something… and found it! A grenade and… two personnel mines.

"_What'cha got Matt?"_

"_Party favors."_

He placed the bombs in Luke's hands and fell to the floor, clearing away the slime down to the wood and pressed his ear. They were down there alright. He could hear them squirming around and screeching. He could feel the slight breeze of another hole in the wall. Luke had been this way before.

"_Would'ya mind a little floor-busting Luke?"_

"_What for?!"_

"_These monsters are getting a little present from another man in red."_

He heard Luke grunt, and felt/heard/saw the punch break through the floor. It was a small hole. Good. He grabbed a grenade, pulled the pin, and threw it down the hole. He yanked Luke out through the hole in the wall before the grenade exploded, causing the creatures below to scream in death, and the building to shake considerably. He grabbed all the mines and bombs back from Luke, who began firing at more creatures coming from the hallway. He set the mines and bombs, and tossed them all as far as he could into the room and down the hallway.

"_The fuck did you do that for?!"_

"_Just run!"_

They both ran as far down the street as they could. They found a parked car and hid behind it. He heard the explosion, and it rattled his eardrums and gave him a splitting headache. He could _see_ the building collapse on itself, as well as see every building down the street. Damn, that hurt! The street shook, and so did the cars. Every car alarm on the street went off at once. He screamed in pain; more pain than he had felt in a long time, and a pain nobody else could feel. He feel to his knees, his hands clamped to his ears as the alarms persisted. The _pain! _He fell down onto the cold sidewalk as he started to feel the darkness of passing out. He felt Luke's hand on his back, shaking him to stay awake, but it did no good. The last thing he heard was Luke's gun go off and empty, followed by the sound of a helicopter landing. He felt Luke pick him up. He saw a Nun standing over him. He couldn't see her face, but she was praying. He grabbed the cross hanging from her neck. He grasped his hands. As his mind went blank, he heard her voice.

"_Rest now, Matthew. Rest."_


	9. A Friend in Need

**CHAPTER NINE**

He had gone about half a mile, still clutching the MAC's. He hadn't seen anymore of the aliens since he started running. He had enough for one reload of each Hand Cannon, & the same for the Berettas. The M-16 on his back hadn't been used yet, thankfully. He hadn't needed it. His armor was holding up nicely. The good thing about Kevlar was that it was lightweight and durable. Could stop semi-auto fire from a decent range, and stop a blade on a good day. He had three explosives left, and no knives. Not that they would help him anyway. If he was close enough to stab these things, then they'd bee close enough to tear him apart.

He heard fighting and screeching coming from a rooftop. He heard the clang of swords. He passed an alley and saw three creatures climbing the walls. Berettas made short work of them. He heard yelling and gunfire now too. He climbed up the fire escape, avoiding the blood spots; both green and red. He finally reached the top and saw Blade. He was fighting off four of them. His blades were doing about as much as his Ka-bar knives did. More were climbing up from other buildings. Magazines and shells littered the rooftop, as did green blood. He didn't bother saying anything before emptying his Berettas into two creatures. But something was wrong. They didn't stay down. They came at him. The last bullet in his hand cannon stopped one, but the other was airborne before he could react. He jumped out of the way just as it was cut apart, leaving the legs on the roof and dropping the arms and head into the alley.

"_Castle, watch it!"_

He looked down and saw that some of the blood had gotten on his bandoleer and he quickly tossed it off the roof. He had no ammo left except for the M-16. He looked up in time to see Blade return to his match. His twin swords barely keeping him ahead of the creatures' tails.

"_I could use some help here!"_

He holstered his empty side-arms and pulled the M-16 off his back. This time he made sure to put them down. He walked over to Blade.

"_Some party up here."_

"_Yeah. Here's a goody bag!"_

Blade tossed him one of his guns. A custom TISAS. Turkey-made, lightweight, durable, and fully automatic. Complete with a laser site. The screeching continued as they stood back to back. The TISAS kept them at a distance, but they were swarming them. They were backed up the street side of the building. He fired the grenade launcher on his M-16. There were definitely more coming, but that would hold them for a moment. He looked back as Blade stood at the edge of the building over the street.

"_Come on, Castle!"_

Blade jumped off the roof and landed on the street flawlessly. Damn magic. Hs Kevlar could take a two-story jump without a few broken ribs. He'd be totally useless if that happened. He opened up short bursts from the M-16 on the approaching aliens he made his way back to the fire escape. He slid down it as fast as he could, trying to avoid the acid blood. He landed on the ground just as they started climbing down after him. One jumped, but was cut in half by the M-16. He made his way out to the street to meet Blade, who was climbing into the black car parked outside the alley. The creatures were right behind him. Blade pushed the door open for him. He turned around and fired as best he could, killing at least three. He fell backwards into the car, and Blade slammed the pedal down. He sat upright and closed the door as the creatures quickly fell behind. He checked himself for acid, and checked his gun. Just about empty.

"_What the hell were you doing on a roof?"_

"_Thought I could lose 'em. Why is it that every ugly slimy motherfucker in New York can climb walls?"_

"_Beats me. Did you hear about Fury's message?"_

"_You think I hear from Fury often or somethin'?"_

"_Everybody meets at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ at midnight. What time is it?"_

"_Eleven-thirty. Where is it?"_

He heard something flying above. The familiar sound of helicopter blades. It was a Blackhawk. S.H.I.E.L.D. chopper.

"_Follow the chopper."_

"_No problem."_

Ten minutes later they pulled up to S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ. It looked like every other skyscraper in New York. Except Fury was standing out front. Blade stopped the car and he stepped out. Fury was less than thrilled.

"_Finally, God-damnit! Where the hell have you been, Castle?"_

Fury's one eye was practically glowing red.

"_Night-fishing."_

Fury just growled. Blade came up behind him.

"_What's goin on Fury?"_

"_No time for that, you've got a car. Take it and cross the bridge to Jersey."_

"_What?"_

"_You heard me! You've got a car Blade. So take it across the bridge. The meteor hit the shipping lanes between here and Jersey. We've got to cover all our bases. White Tiger, Iron Fist, & Ms. Marvel are waiting for you."_

Blade reluctantly got back in his car.

"_I don't do aliens, Fury."_

"_Yeah, well all kinds of rules are down the fuckin' toilet tonight, Brookes. And if we don't stop these things, there won't be enough people __left__ to save from the vampires, comprende?"_

Blade took off without a word. He watched as the last of the crowd entered the building. He followed Fury in.

"_Take the Kevlar off. We'll get you a S.H.I.E.L.D. suit. Leave the guns too. Ours are a helluva lot bigger."_

Fury threw him a bag. He stuffed his armor and guns inside. He kept his M-16. He had had enough surprises today. He was going to be ready for the next one. An annoyingly voice came from behind him.

"_Hey! If it aint the Punisher! Did the aliens take __your__ dignity, too?"_

He turned around. Deadpool. Talk about a character. A fucking cartoon character was more like it. He was still filling his own bag. There must have been at least twenty guns in that bag. Along with a similar amount of bombs and blades.

"_How long's it been, Frankie?"_

"_D'you ever shut the fuck up, Wilson?"_

"_Why? Is my fly undone?"_

He fired one shot into Wilson's head. He fell to floor. He turned and followed Fury's path down the hall. He had been waiting to do that for a long time. Mercs are scum, no matter how stupid they are. At least now they'd have some peace and quiet. For a moment.

"_Wait! I remember now! Issues fifty-four and fifty-five, two-thousand one! But whose comic was it? Yours or mine?"_

He turned around and shot him again; twice this time. What does it take to keep people dead these days? Of all the psychopaths and megalomaniacs he'd killed, none of them matched up to that stupid bastard.

"_It was mine! Thanks, Frank!"_

He turned around and emptied his clip into Deadpool's head. He turned and made his way down the hall toward a pair of large double doors. A huge conference room for the meeting. As he opened the doors he heard the voice again.

_"Well now you're just being unpleasant."  
_


	10. The Meeting

**CHAPTER TEN**

Finally, everyone was here. About damn time. All the usual capes. Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, War Machine, Hank Pym, The Vision, and Luke Cage. The rest were in the med room recovering. He was standing on the stage in front of the mic. He looked back at Richards, who was off-stage preparing. Spider-Man was helping. That Predator made him nervous. He didn't care how many aliens it had killed. He made it a point never to trust aliens. Well, anyone for that matter. Can't trust anyone anymore. It was time to get the show on the road. He grabbed the mic and started up just as Castle walked through the door, with Deadpool not too far behind.

"_Alright, everyone listen up."_

The room went silent as everyone focused on him.

"_We are in the middle of a full-scale invasion, so I'm glad you could all make it. 'Cause we're gonna need every last one of you characters to save this city. A smaller unit has been sent across the river to Jersey to contain the situation there. As you all probably know, these things are tough. They're fast, tactful, organized, sharp, strong, and their numbers seem limitless. But Dr. Richards & Spider-Man have got some intel on our uninvited guests."_

He took a step back and let Richards & the Spider have the stage. It was always nice when he could hand all the talking off to someone else. But it was Richards, so he lit a cigar; it was going to be a long night.

* * *

"_Thank you Colonel."_

Mr. F used his remote to turn on the large holo-monitor on the stage. It depicted a rotating 3D model of a Xenomorph.

"_Well ladies and gentlemen, we certainly have some curious beings on our hands. Their prehensile tails as well as their talons and mandibles make for a very deadly adversary. Not to mention their incredibly corrosive blood, to which everything__ beneath first class adamantium is susceptible. They are silicon based, so they are highly reactive to electricity. As Colonel Fury has already mentioned, their numbers are great. This is because of their lightning-fast breeding cycle."_

He felt odd, just standing there. Big bad superhero getting stage fright. He was waiting for Mr. F to hand it off to him. He felt a huge hand smack his shoulder before hearing Ben whisper to him.

"_Relax, kid. It's Reed. This could take a while."_

He turned his attention back to Mr. F. he had switched the image from the alien to the "face-hugger" thing and continued.

"_It seems that this species is similar to a colony of ants in that they have a single egg-producing queen, which we have yet to see. The queen produces these "face-huggers" in eggs, which are carried off by the soldiers. These eggs hatch, and the face-huggers latch on to the nearest healthy host and insert a young soldier through the mouth. This next part is a bit graphic."_

He hated this part. Disgusting. Until now he didn't think any kind of being would kill another simply as part of the reproduction process. Well, there were praying mantises. But this was altogether far worse. He watched as Mr. F. pressed the button and started the animation. The face-hugger grappled the person and inserted the child. The view changed from profile to bird's eye, as they saw the child wriggling around and quickly growing. It changed back to profile for the child bursting out of the chest. Several sounds of disgust and horror came from the crowd. Mr. F continued.

"_It seems that shortly after… impregnating seems the right word… the host with the young soldier, the face-hugger dies. After approximately five or ten minutes, the unwilling and unknowing host is killed as the soldier emerges. Uh, Spider-Man, could you continue for me?"_

It came as a shock. He had been looking at the crowd. Why would Mr. F. stop now that he had them in the palm of his hand? He looked over and saw the green in the man's face. He stepped forward and took the device from him.

"_Well, to continue. The soldiers mature at a frighteningly accelerated speed, allowing them to regain losses and decimate a community in… mere hours."_

He paused for effect. More worried talk among the crowd. He was starting to feel the tension in his gut that Mr. F must have felt. He carried on.

"_As they do have similarities with ants, they also have slight differences. Unlike an ant colony, these creatures have extended castes."_

He flipped the switch to show the other types.

"_There are three different types of soldiers. There are the Grunts that we have all seen moving in waves across the city. They are generally the infantry. Then there are the Marauders. These are more heavily armored as well as aggressive, with enhanced size, strength, and resistance to conventional weaponry. They generally defend the egg clusters. There is generally one for every hundred Grunts. And finally there are the Carriers. These are the major transport means for the eggs themselves. They each have eight limbs. Two hind legs, two forearms, and four arms on their backs. These are much swifter than the other two types, but also the most vulnerable. Their goal is not offensive in any way, but rather to move between the egg cluster and the hive."_

He flipped to the next image and kept going despite the persistence in his gut.

"_As Mr. Fantastic previously mentioned, there is only one queen for each colony. But the Queen does produce eggs to reproduce more Queens. These Queens live through four life stages while the soldiers live through only three. They change from egg, to hatchling, to warrior. The Queens move to a fourth stage where their primary objective is to produce eggs only. These Queens are the fiercest while in the warrior stage. They are superior to soldiers in every way, and can also directly impregnate hosts with the use of their 'inner mouths.'"_

He turned off the hologram and the lights brightened. Luke Cage called out a question.

"_How exactly do we know all this?"_

Before he could answer he heard an annoyingly familiar voice from the back of the crowd.

"_Who cares? Let's go kill 'em!"_

Deadpool's comment was followed by several punches. Most likely directed at his face. He wished his could have been one of them. He motioned to the Hunter off-stage to move forward. As it stepped into view, he heard several cries of surprise.

"_We have encountered another extra-terrestrial who has identified himself as a hunter of these Xenomorphs. He has given us the extensive information we have just shown you."_

* * *

He scanned the room. More humans. Some where mutants, but most were genetically altered in some way. They were shocked by his presence. He extended his spear and stood it up beside him. He didn't trust these humans, and would be prepared for any kind of offensive. He was ready to continue fighting the Xenomorphs to the end. And he would stop them at any cost. It had been his mission. He had failed once. He would not fail now. One of the large humans in the crowd shouted something. Thankfully he had downloaded the language into his helmet while interfacing with the blue being's supercomputer.

"_How do we know it isn't just another type of those things sent to kill us?"_

He raised his spear at that remark. How dare this pitiful being compare him to a Xenomorph?! On his planet such an insult in punishable by death. As he raised his spear he saw the large accuser ready itself. Several soldiers pointed their weapons at him. Spider-Man stepped forward and defended him.

"_This Predator is a completely different species of hunters. His technology far-surpasses our own. To put it bluntly, Luke, he's too human to be one of them."_

It was still an insult to compare him to a human, but he allowed it. His intentions had been proved to the humans. The one called Luke now went silent. Spider-Man continued while he remained standing.

"_We have an example of a young Queen, captured by Mr. Stark earlier today."_

The one referred to as Mr. Stark, whom was wearing a titanium-alloy suit of armor, used a tractor beam to bring forward the Queen he had been pursuing. It was the one that had stolen the Symbiote Venom from it's host. It was sealed in a spherical energy ball. He held his spear tightly. He knew all too well that Queens were quite powerful. If that energy shield was even a level weak, it would escape. And he would be prepared. These humans gathered here were meant to be the protectors and warriors. He would not be able to stop the Xenomorphs on his own. He should have eradicated this Queen when he had the chance. A loud roar came from down a hallway to his left. It sounded like an infected. He leapt off the stage and ran down the hallway.

* * *

The pain! The burning! The cool water he felt around him did nothing to help the pain. His blood was slowly filling the tank. He couldn't scream. All that came up where bubbles. He heard people talking through the tank. The clinking of glasses, clapping. He felt his claws sliding out of his hand. He ripped himself from the machines holding him down. He felt an intense pain in his chest as he rose from the water and screamed in an anger he did not recognize.

He woke up screaming. Another nightmare. He was sitting in a med room, lying on a bed. His claws had ripped everything apart. He was breathing hard. He looked to his left and saw Jean and Jubilee standing over him as well as a doctor. They all looked terrified. He retracted his claws.

"_I'm fine. It was all a dream. I'm o…RAAAAAHH!"_

The lab had been a dream, but the pain in his chest was not. He fell back onto the bed. The last thing he remembered was saving Jean & Jubilee, and meeting up with Fury. He had passed out under the same chest pain. It felt like something was trying to break his ribs from the inside. But it couldn't get past the adamantium. It tried again, and he screamed. He could barely hear Jean & Jubilee crying his name over the sound of his heart thumping and his head pounding. His chest crushed again, and he fell off the bed. He made his way off the floor in time to see the doc pulling the girls out of the room. Whatever it was, was too stupid to get out on it's own, so he'd have to pull it out. He unsheathed his claws.

"_Looks like I'm goin' in the old fashioned way."_

He braced himself and plunged his claws into his stomach. He dug up, under & behind his lungs. Something was squirming around. He grabbed it, and pulled. He screamed. It was almost as painful as the dreams had been. His blood was everywhere now. He stared at the little bastard in his hand. It was like a worm. But it was growing limbs, and it was getting bigger, fast! His open-gut surgery had left him weak. The monster grew incredibly fast. In just a minute it had grown to his size. It looked like an alien version of him. Claws & spikes everywhere. It screeched at him before sniffing the air. It looked through the doorway everyone had left through. He saw through the window: Jean!

"_NO! RUN!"_

The creature screeched as he saw Jean running away. The monster burst through the doors and pursued her. He gathered himself up by wrapping a surgical gown around his stomach. He moved through the pain, and ran after the monster. Not Jean. No. He wouldn't lose her again. He extended his claws as far as they would go, ran as fast and roared as loud as he could, trying to catch the beast. It pounced. He heard her cream. It must have caught her! No!

"_NOOO!! RAAAAAH!!"_

He tackled the creature, stabbing it, & sending them both over Jean and down the hallway further. He saw Jubilee and the doc exit out through the doors at the end of the hall.

"_Jean! Run! Back to the med room! GO!"_

She ran. She hadn't been hurt. Good. Good for her. Still bad for Mr. Spikes here. It extended the spikes all over it's body, including the huge claws in it's hands, and screeched at him. That sound was pissing him off.

"_You're really pissing me off! Let's dance, porcupine!"_

It swung it's tail at him, sticking the spikes in his recovering gut. That hurt. This fucker was going down.

"_Wrong move, bub!"_

He sliced it's tail clean off and immediately pinned it to the wall with his claws, not bothering to wipe the blood off. It kicked him away against the other wall. It came at him slashing. He took tow in the chest before removing it's right leg. He sidestepped it as it fell. It stabbed him in the back and dragged it's claws against the adamantium. He climbed on it's back and cut away the spikes. He pinned it to he floor with one hand, removing the last leg with the other. It flipped over and stabbed him. No good. He kept slashing at it. First cutting off the arms, then eviscerating the head. Slashing and cutting until there was nothing left but mush. He felt it's blood burning him, but he didn't care. The adrenaline accelerating his healing factor. He heard something coming down the hallway and turned to face it. Another one! He roared and tackled it. It's tail must have come up and blacked his claws. It kicked him up and off it. They both ran at each other. They both stopped in mid-charge. He heard Jean in his head.

"_Logan, stop!"_

It must have been her holding him up. She walked around in front of him. He retracted his claws when he saw her face. She reached up and touched his.

"_Calm down. It's alright now."_

Their eyes met again. They were both nervous. They moved toward each other as. The same as in the alley. He felt her cool breath as she put him down.

"_Good thing you stopped him, Ms. Grey."_

Damn it all. She pulled away. Fury was standing beside the creature. He looked hard now: it was a Predator. Fury: always ruining a good time.

"_We need both of these boys for our fight ahead."_

He heard Spider-Man's voice too.

"_Hey, I stopped the Predator, you know!"_

Fury ignored him and kept talking.

"_And we don't have time for you two to beat the shit out of each other anyway. But it's good to see you back on your feet, Wolverine. We've got to finish this meeting. Ms. Grey? If you would?"_

Jean didn't say anything, but followed Fury to the door. He was still standing. He passed by the Predator, who simply followed him with it's eyes.

"_Sorry about that. No hard feelings?"_

The Predator extended it's hand and met his. They shook. Not bad for an alien.

"_I like you a lot better than the last guy."_


	11. Astral Duel, The Phoenix Released

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

That was too close. Logan would have destroyed that Hunter alien. All to protect her. She blushed a bit. He was so heroic. Saving her twice now. She had watched and waited by his bedside for him to wake up. She could feel his torment in his dreams. She wished she could help him; make those nightmares go away. Give him something else to dream about. She knew she dreamed about him often. _Stop it Jean!_ Scott was her husband. If she had listened to him and stayed at the mansion, she wouldn't be involved in this. And Logan wouldn't have been hurt, and Jubilee wouldn't be in danger. She felt terrible.

She tried to think of something else. Draw her mind away from those thoughts. Those creatures… Xenomorphs they called them. Horrible monsters. That thing must've attached itself when Logan was fighting that big one. She didn't know why she stayed behind and watched him cut himself open. It was horrible. And that… _thing_… it had claws just like him. They can infect people and change with their victims' DNA. Awful.

But she was here for a reason. Col. Fury was guiding her up to the stage. She was supposed to remove the Symbiote from the one they had captured. The one that had attacked them. She was generally a pacifist, but Logan had rubbed off on her a bit. And she wanted a bit of revenge. She would make the extraction as painful as possible.

* * *

He was standing by on stage next to the orb with the alien inside. Hunter was standing right next to it, his cannon trained on the alien. He wished he could be so careful. Fury had just told him to stay right there when everyone took off down the hallway. He was going to take some serious crap when he got home. What would he say to MJ & Aunt May? He was out all night taking pictures of the aliens and buying milk? Mr. Fantastic was standing behind him, ready to catch the Xenomorph if it got away.

Fury was leading Mrs. Jean Summers up the stairway. Wolverine wasn't to far behind. He saw Deadpool walk up next to him before getting punched across the room. All the other heroes settled down before Fury spoke.

"_Alright. Now that the commotion's over, we can get back to business."_

Mrs. Summers stood next to him and Iron Man was floating above the stage. Showoff.

"_By a stroke of luck we have a resident telepath. And also by luck the… Xenomorph we have captured happens to be a young queen. A young queen which has bonded with the Symbiote known as Venom. Mrs. Summers here is gonna remove it for us. Spider-Man, it's all yours."_

He knew now was not the time or the place, but he couldn't get over how attractive Jean was. He must have a thing about redheads. _You're right. Now is not the time or place._ He forgot she was a telepath. _And I don't think you want Logan or your wife to know about this._ Either way, he saw that as a death threat. He cleared the lump out of his throat and began.

"_Alright. The Symbiotes are highly susceptible to sonic impulses. But due to it's ability to absorb traits of it's host, in this case a lack of ears, we will have to remove it telepathically. Mrs. Summers, could you link our minds?"_

"_It could be very dangerous. I've seen the mind of these monsters. It could destroy you."_

"_There's nothing we can do about that. I have to be the bait for the Symbiote to cling to. But as long as Iron Man and Hunter have the queen in their control, We should be fine."_

Mrs. Summers looked nervous. He was nervous too. He was probably about to compromise his identity. Well, she had already read that he had a wife, so she probably already knew. As he looked around, he saw that everyone looked nervous. Even Wolverine and Fury. Well, if nervous meant chewing through a cigar, that was Fury.

"_Go get 'em kid."_

He felt Jean touch his arm, then it felt as though he was swallowing his own brain. Or rather his brain was swallowing him! It was all darkness for a moment. He felt alone. Emotions were all around him; fear, concern, love, anger, anxiety…Suddenly he was pulled away by what looked like…Jean. It was Jean. She was wearing a green one-piece skin-tight suit, similar to her Phoenix outfit he had seen on a previous meeting. She was surrounded by a pink aura. He looked down at himself. His suit had changed into street cloths: a red shirt, blue pants, red shoes, blue gloves. He felt and found his mask was still on. He was surrounded by a blue aura. He heard Jean's voice and looked up.

"_This is the astral plane. A level of existence in the mind, connecting the world together."_

As he looked at her, he realized that she was talking, but her mouth wasn't moving. He guessed that all communication here was through the mind.

"_Here, you are the way you see yourself."_

I put his hand up and felt his mask at her words.

"_Don't worry. We all wear masks in some way."_

With that she began flying away. He wanted to follow, and so he did. He flew along behind her. He realized that they were inside some kind of fortress; Medieval-style walls and stairways. Chests and vases littered the floor near the walls in every room. Colors he had never seen before flowed everywhere.

"_Keep up, Spider-Man"_

He realized he had been lagging behind and flew up next to her.

"_This is incredible Mrs. Summers."_

"_You can call me Jean here. May I call you Peter?"_

He was barely surprised.

"_Sure. Can I call you Gorgeous?"_

He still had it. She gave him a little slap and moved forward, with him just behind her.

"_So, is there anything dangerous in here?"_

"_Yes. That is why we must move quickly and quietly."_

He began whispering.

"_Oh, okay."_

"_We are in a telepathic world. Sound is not an element. There are billions of voices all around us. I mean we must find your Symbiote without using a large amount of strength or power."_

"_What for? You're a strong telepath. Shouldn't that mean something here?"_

"_It does. But only so much."_

"_Okay."_

Most of the limitless rooms looked identical. He noticed other people walking around. But they did not have an aura, and they were practically transparent. Apparently Jean must have felt his question, because she answered first.

"_Those are other users of the astral plane. Several beings have the mental power to access this plane. Many of these that you see are young, and do not know they have the power yet."_

He looked down at them as he flew above. So many people with this much power. He looked down past them, through the floor, and noticed a giant swirling black hole. He looked up and spied a twin, but heard nothing. Jean's attention hadn't swayed, so he forgot about the questions, until an important one surfaced.

"_Uh, Jean?"_

"_Yes Peter?"_

"_How are we going to find the Symbiote?"_

"_Simply think of the being you want to find, and you will find it."_

"_Oh. It's really that simple?"_

She nodded. This astral plane was a weird place. He focused on the memories he had of wearing the Symbiote. He remembered how it had begged to become one with him. Suddenly he knew. He sped forward with Jean following him this time. It was like following a scent trail, with his mind. He moved faster and faster through the rooms with Jean keeping up. Until finally they reached a room. The feeling was strongest here. It was very dark. The walls were covered by the Symbiote. As they moved further in, he recognized it. This wasn't a room, but rather the belfry of a bell tower. The same tower in which he had rid himself of the Symbiote. He felt a strange feeling move over him as he heard a familiar voice.

"_Hello Peter."_

It hissed like a snake, & sounded raspy.

"_Hello, Symbiote."_

"_It's been quite a while."_

"_Yes it has."_

Out of the darkness of the walls came the horrible Xenomorph form.

"_Why are you here?"_

The voice changed slightly; it became more of a screech, like that of the Xenomorph.

"_We've come to help you."_

"_Help?"_

"_It sounds like you're fighting a losing battle."_

"_LIAR!"_

That certainly stirred it up. Perhaps he could avoid a fight for once.

"_I know how hard it is for you to bond with your host. This creature seems too powerful _

_for you."_

"_LIAR, LIAR! We have complete control!"_

"_Then why are you still serving the colony, rather than yourself?"_

"_Because!…"_

Jean stepped forward and began talking to it.

"_It's because these creatures are only concerned with destruction. It has no emotions. No remorse, or feelings of duty. Like a machine of destruction, it lives only to promote it's race, and the death of all others."_

"_That's right, Symbiote. No emotions for you to feed off of."_

"_Yes! Yes! It's true. This beast is naught but a killing machine. Something admirable, but unsatisfying."_

Jean took control again.

"_Then why haven't you separated yourself?"_

"_BECAUSE…because it tastes so GOOD! It's like a drug; you know it degrades you, but you just can't let go! This creature… IT is controlling ME!"_

* * *

Jean knew this would mean a fight. They would need to either sorely tax the Xenomorphs' power, or kill it. It was the only way to free the Symbiote. She looked at Peter, and saw that he knew it as well. He flew forward and grabbed it. The creature screeched rather than the Symbiote. He began punching and kicking. He extended his wrists, but was flung backward into the wall behind her. She moved to help him up.

"_Your physical powers don't exist here; only the powers that are a part of you. Your strength, speed, and flexibility are your only powers here."_

"_Right. No web-slinging. Gotcha."_

He jumped back into the fight. Its tail jabbed down at him, but he stepped out of the way. It swung its tail across to slash at him, but he ducked. He grabbed the tail and began running toward the wall.

"_I hope this works!"_

He jumped onto the wall, ran around the creature, and wrapped its tail around its neck. The Symbiote spoke desperately.

"_If you free me, I will do anything! Free me from this madness!"_

The Xenomorph grabbed him with it's large claws, extended with the Symbiote's power. It threw Peter into the wall, which he stuck to harmlessly.

"_Jean? What do you need to remove it?"_

"_Give me time to focus, and an opening!"_

"_Can do!"_

He attempted to tackle it, but was grabbed by it's tail and thrown into the bell in the middle of the room. The sound echoed throughout the room. Spider-Man held his ears in pain. The Symbiote-covered walls squirmed in pain. She could hear it when the Symbiote spoke.

"_I am weakening! It is taking control! You must destroy it!"_

Then the creature turned its attention to her. It leapt at her, screeching and deadly claws out. She caught it with her telepathy and threw it against the wall.

"_You may have the advantage out there, but here I am in control…"_

The creature charged this time. Peter attempted to attack it, but was merely tossed aside.

"…_I have the power…"_

She passed by the monster and grabbed its tail, slamming it into the ground. She felt power growing in her, the power she had felt in the alley with Jubilee. The Phoenix Force. She was afraid to use it. But this time there would be no collateral damage. It attacked again, this time with it's tail. It stabbed again and again, each time she dodged. She felt her aura turn gold, like the bird on her chest.

"…_I am THE PHOENIX!"_

She stretched her arms & legs out, making a perfect star shape. He aura expanded tenfold. She looked back to see Peter staring up at her in amazement.

"_Brace yourself."_

She turned back to the Xenomorph, which was again leaping at her. She fired a blast of glowing psychic fire with one hand, blasting the creature back to the ground. She kept a constant stream of energy going to hold it down. She knew if she did not finish this now, The Phoenix Force would take her body over. And that would be disastrous. With a gesture from her other hand, she lifted the massive bell from the floor, and smashed it down on the creature. The bell, Xenomorph, and Symbiote all screamed in unison. She moved to the monster's head, and placed her hands on either side. The creature pushed the bell slightly.

"_Peter, keep the beast down!"_

Without a word he moved alongside and held the bell down. She focused all her power on the Xenomorph and Symbiote, slowly separating them. She clenched her eyes shut in concentration. The monster was strong, but she would stop it. She had to. She felt their connection breaking slowly, and screamed, unleashing all the power she could, and shattered the connection. She opened her eyes, and in a great white flash, the Xenomorph was gone. She had destroyed it's mind. She was proud. She was proud, and now exhausted. Her aura was fading quickly. The Symbiote lay on top of the bell, writhing freely.

She looked at Peter, who looked almost as tired as she was. He stood up and helped her to her feet. She had fallen when her power faded.

"_Thank you."_

"_Just another service of your friendly, neighborhood, amazed-out-of-his-mind Spider-Man."_

She laughed. But it was a tired laugh. Her hold on the astral plane was slipping, and they were moving back into their own bodies.

"_I'm going to faint. The Xenomorph should be dead, and the Symbiote free. Tell them I'm fine. Tell them to take me back to the Mansion. The Blackbird is in Central Park on the South side of the aqueduct. Please tell Wolverine…"_

She thought. Should she tell him? Should Logan know how she felt about him? She thought hard. Were these feelings worth throwing her marriage away? Worth hurting Scott? She was fading quickly. She knew she would never have this courage again. Perhaps it was the pride she felt from defeating the creature, or perhaps just the exhaustion, but she decided.

* * *

"_Tell Logan I lo…"_

He couldn't hear her anymore as his emotions blocked the sounds of her out, as he returned to his own body. He blinked. He was still standing up. He felt a head rush, like he had been upside down for the longest time. He fell over just in time to see Jean do the same. Except she was asleep. She had fainted like she said. Wolverine came from behind and caught her. He felt a large tough chest catch him. He looked up to see Ben standing there.

"_You okay kid?"_

Ben used his super strength to stand him up and straighten him out. He rubbed his aching head. His arms and legs felt tingly, like his whole body had fallen asleep.

"_Fine, Ben. Thanks."_

"_No problem."_

He looked over at Wolverine, who was holding Jean up & looking concerned.

"_What happened Web-head?"_

"_She saved me. She killed the alien and freed the Symbiote and fainted. She's fine."_

Wolverine snarled with concern.

"_How do you know?!"_

"_She told me she was going to faint. She said the Blackbird was on the South side of the aqueduct, and she wanted to be taken home."_

"_That all?"_

He thought about the last thing he heard. He didn't hear it clearly, but it was something about Wolverine. She may have said she loved him. But he wasn't about to put the fates of the X-Men on a hunch.

"_Yeah. That's all."_

Iron Man spoke up. He was on the ground now, still holding the Xenomorph in the energy field.

"_So, I can let it go now?"_

Peter looked back at Hunter, whose cannon had retracted. Hunter nodded, and Iron Man let the bubble fall. The aliens fell separately. The Xenomorph was dead, but the Symbiote was still squirming. He quickly scooped it up and headed for the medical wing. He needed to get it back on Eddie. Venom would return, but perhaps this time he would be an ally… if only for a short while. He knew the Symbiote not only absorbed powers, but also knowledge. It would know where the Xenomorph colony was, as well as several nests.

* * *

Spider-Man sped down the hall to the medical wing. He motioned for four agents to follow him, and they took off. He had burned through his cigar waiting for the two of them to finish. He had burned through his patience too. He stepped forward and addressed the crowd. It was time for a battle plan.

"_Alright, it's time to get down to business."_

Just as he began another agent came through his headset.

"_Colonel Fury?"_

He pressed the receiver to his ear.

"_What now?"_

"_The aliens have expanded their boundaries, Sir! They've moved further South down to the meat-packing district, & North into Central Park. We've broadcasted more evacuations but frankly, Sir, I don't know how well we can hold them off without additional forces!"_

He didn't even need to think. Plans were already building in his head when the agent finished speaking.

"_On their way, Soldier."_

He turned again to the heroes assembled before him. He almost expected to see Steve Rogers among the group. He had forgotten Cap was trekking through Germany, looking for the last remaining connections of the Red Skull. They would have to do without him.

"_Alright, listen up! These alien bastards are spreading fast, and S.H.I.E.L.D. is having a hell of a time holding them back. So here's the plan: We're going to separate into groups, each one consisting of several heroes and a S.H.I.E.L.D. attack squad. Get your equipment squared away, and see me for assignments. Let's move it, people!"_

He finished talking and lit another cigar. Richards came up to him.

"_Nick, Ben and I need to get back to the Baxter Building and check on Sue and the kids."_

"_Alright. Make it fast!"_

They headed off. Grimm was the only one who would be useful in the field anyway, with the Human Torch in Hawaii on vacation. He'd make the best use he could of what he had. He may have lost an eye in his life as a soldier, but he had gained tactical expertise. He headed toward the large hologram projector and pulled up a map of the city. He hadn't become Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. for nothing.


	12. Back with a Vengeance, Plan of Attack

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

The consistent beeping of a heart monitor, and the clapping of boots against a cold tile floor awakened him. A familiar tough voice washed over him as he stirred.

"_Murdock? You okay?"_

"_Luke?"_

"_Yeah."_

Luke Cage. A friend to the end. He remembered escaping the alien nest in the courthouse, and being knocked out by the sounds of the explosion and the subsequent car alarms. It felt like an axe was beating away at the back of his skull. He felt his forehead and noticed that his mask was still on. He quickly felt around and realized he was in a medical gown. He whispered a question.

"_Is anyone else here?"_

Luke chuckled and replied.

"_Man, don't worry about it. There's just one other guy in the room, and he's comatose."_

"_What about Daredevil?"_

"_I got your suit right here. Don't worry, you're behind a curtain. Nobody's been in here since they set you down."_

He stood up slowly. He focused on the heart monitor and saw that he wasbehind a _heavy_ curtain. He pulled the plug off his chest and caused the heart monitor to scream. Luke turned it off.

"_What happened?"_

"_You passed out when the courthouse blew up. It got the attention of a S.H.I.E.L.D. chopper. It came down and picked us up. By the time we got you here, your heart was slowin' down so they gave you some adrenaline and hooked you up to the machine."_

"_What time is it?"_

"_It's… about one in the morning."_

"_Jeeesus…"_

He felt around for his suit on the other side of the bed next to Luke, and found his baton. He didn't risk revealing any more of himself, so he left it in baton form. He smacked it against the metal frame of the heart monitor and looked around the room. Luke was right. The only other guy in the room was barely alive. He felt Luke tap his shoulder as he handed him his costume.

"_Get dressed, man. There's a big meeting of all the heroes in town. You missed out on a lot already."_

"_Right."_

He groaned again at his aching head. Just the thought of car alarms made him dizzy. As he felt his weight shift forward, Luke caught his shoulder and set his straight.

"_You gonna be okay if I leave?"_

"_Yeah, sure. Get back to the meeting or whatever."_

"_Cool."_

He heard Luke leave the room, his boots clapping the floor all the way out. He heard the dull roar of the meeting Luke spoke of, as well as the shallow, aided breathing of the other guy in the room. He slipped his costume on. It was a good thing he had changed into a spare one before he left for the courthouse. He latched on his boots & made sure his batons were safely attached before leaving the room. He heard something running toward him. He projected it's path and clung up against the wall to avoid it in the small passageway. It must have been Spider-Man; he heard him talking to himself. Or was it the thing he was carrying? He made his way out into the large room. The sounds of everyone talking and Fury barking orders practically lit up the room. He heard Wolverine, Deadpool, Wolverine punching Deadpool, Hank Pym, and the robotic voices of Iron Man, War Machine, & Vision. Several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were talking amongst themselves. Cursing the aliens and vowing revenge for their fallen friends. He made his way over to Fury, who was giving orders to Hank Pym and Vision.

"…_get back to Avengers Mansion and see if you can find anything we can use on these things."_

Hank & Vision nodded before walking away down the exit hallway. Fury must have caught sight of him.

"_Back on your feet, Daredevil? Good man."_

He didn't particularly like Fury. He used people far too often for his liking. And his sense of smell picked up the awful odor of Fury's cigars. But he was apparently the mastermind behind this thing. He was glad to have some kind of order.

"_So what's my assignment?"_

"_You're gonna help Cage with the evacuation. Everybody on the East side of the city is going across the Queensboro Bridge. You'll be defending the evac teams and keeping the Xenomorphs off our backs while we get everyone safely across."_

"_Xenomorphs?"_

"_That's what their calling the aliens now. You'll need to have Cage fill you in."_

Fury's headset buzzed with a signal.

"_What now?"_

Fury turned away, but his super hearing picked up the transmission.

"_Col. Fury, Sir. The rock is still moving South toward the Raft. At this rate the current will wash it out to sea by tonight."_

"_Alright, we'd better move now. How's the situation in Jersey?"_

"_Doing well, Sir. The heroes are having no trouble pushing the aliens back."_

"_It's about God-damn time we had some good news…"_

He couldn't hear the rest of Fury's conversation, as a stern but sultry Russian voice invaded his ears.

"_Good to see you back in action, 'Daredevil'."_

Natasha Romanov: The Black Widow. Another super agent. And another in his long line of failed romances. He tried to be plain; nobody was supposed to know about their past together.

"_Same to you, Ma'am."_

He felt her hand on his chin and heard her heels click on the ground in front of him.

"_Oh, don' be so civil. We're going to be working together."_

That made it all the more reason to be civil.

"_Fury didn't say…"_

She gave him a little slap with the hand on his chin.

"_Fury called me in. And I said I was going to help with the evacuation."_

He began to sweat a bit.

"_What about the past?"_

"_Ah, forget the past. Russian women only remember vengeance. And don't worry…I've nothing against you."_

He felt the hand leave his chin and the heels click away. He stopped sweating. He hoped she wouldn't act like that in the field. Black Widow was usually very professional and not at all flirtatious. They had broken up because he was to protective of her. She could handle herself. But after being out for so long, could he?

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He had picked up the Symbiote after the bubble fell and was rushing straight toward the med room. He was running as fast as he could, trying to keep the Symbiote from bonding with him, but trying not to drop it at the same time. As he rushed down the hall, he saw Daredevil. He was apparently doing better. He would have stopped but he was in a hurry.

"_The Symbiote will bond with Eddie again, and it'll tell us where the eggs are."_

He ran into the room and looked at Eddie, lying on the bed. Once again sorrow washed over him. He had wanted his friend back for so long, and to know that it could never happen was crushing. He looked Eddie over, even shaking him a bit.

"_Eddie?"_

No luck. He was still comatose. He slammed his fist down on the bed. He held back to as not to break it with his spider-strength. It would take a while to get over. Eddie was gone. There was only Venom. But in some small way, Eddie was still there. Maybe someday, he could dig him out from beneath all the hatred. Someday. But until that day…

He put the Symbiote down on Eddie's chest and watched as it swept over him, covering his friend in darkness.

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He was alone. Alone in his mind. He hadn't been that way for so long. He didn't know what to do. Something was missing. The Symbiote! He felt it's presence. He knew it was more than a bond for both of them. He had been attached to it for so long, it felt as if he didn't need anyone else. Didn't WANT anyone else. He felt that feeling return. _Eddie? I am sorry. The creature… it was overwhelming. _He understood. _Will you re-embrace me?_ He didn't even need to think the answer. He felt that familiar blackness wash over him once again. He felt the strength well up inside him. They woke up. The fluorescent light shined in their eyes. They stared into the face of their enemy: Spider-Man!

"_Eddie?"_

They leapt from the bed and stretched. They wanted to destroy him; tear him apart; mangle his inferior form! But no, they couldn't. Spider-Man had saved them from the creature. It made them sick, the thought of standing beside the one whom they vowed to destroy, and not do so. The fool moved slightly into a battle stance. As if he could stop them. They were nearly twice his size, and would destroy the entire building if it would destroy him as well.

"_I saved you, remember? So, how about that 'anything you say' bit?"_

They roared in frustration.

"_What do you want?"_

"_I want to know where the egg clusters are around the city."_

"_We cannot simply tell you. The creatures are primitive. But if we were to look for them, we would find them."_

"_Alright then, how about a truce?"_

A truce?! That bastardly bug! How dare he simply call off their lifelong quest! They would still rather carve his head into a jack o' lantern and hang him up for Halloween! But no! They… _owed_ him. The sickness returned. Parker extended his hand. That reminded them of the friend they had made earlier; the one they had fought, and fought beside. Perhaps he was still alive. They extended their arm and shook.

"_Truce? For now?"_

"_Yes, yes. As long as we can annihilate those Xenomorphs. Disgusting creatures. Scum of the universe."_

They wrung their hands and licked their jaws. Wonderful! This would be fun! They had played good samaritan before. Perhaps they could once again enjoy fighting with the heroes. Soldiers came in, their guns trained on them. They fought the reflex to tear them apart. The lead one stared at them. They stared right back. They could smell his fear.

"_Uh…uh… Co…Colonel Fury wants ev…everyone present and accounted for."_

They chuckled. Fury was the hack behind this? That was rich. They had escaped his prisons many times before. The Web-head spoke.

"_Alright. Let's go…partner."_

The sound of that word infuriated them. That insect would meet his end one day.

"_You want your spine ripped out and used as a backscratcher, don't you?"_

They followed Parker and the soldiers down the tunnel and out into the large room where all the other metahumans were gathered. They all stared at them. They weren't above intimidation tactics, so they extended several tendrils threateningly into the air, and flicked their tongue. Hehe. The soldiers rejoined their friends, and Spider-Man walked over to talk with that hack, Fury. He was finishing up with Daredevil. All they heard from Fury was:

"_What the hell is he doing here?!"_

They chuckled. They spied around the room, looking for a familiar face. And they found it. On the stage against the wall stood their ally; spear extended. He must have had a spare. They recalled it being dissolved by the Xenomorph blood. He was sharpening his arm blades. He remembered they had dulled during the battle. They walked toward him.

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His blades were almost re-sharpened. Damn Xenomorphs and their corrosive blood. It was not difficult to see how valuable they were as adversaries. But he believed them to be too dangerous to control. He had addressed his concerns to the High Council, but they were discarded as foolish. He heard someone moving toward him & looked up, hand instinctively grasping his spear. It was Venom! At last, his comrade had returned.

"_Venom!"_

Venom responded by leaping toward him and landing in front of him, again shaking his hand.

"_Good to see you survived. Are you ready to decimate those Xenomorphs?"_

He simply raised his arm and beat his chest. It was a simple enough gesture.

"_Yes. They will taste my blades."_

"_Wonderful! We've been aching for a little vengeance. Now that we can sense the eggs, there's no stopping us!"_

Venom wrung it's hands together. He was glad to have his comrade back. He looked around the room at the other warriors he had been studying. He believed it was always best to analyze one's teammates if victory would be achieved. Not that he believed mere humans could be called his equals. He saw the armored ones, 'Iron Man' and 'War Machine' talking amongst themselves. Spider-Man was putting on a new suit, like the ones the soldiers were wearing, but lighter. The clawed one they called 'Wolverine' was doing the same. As was the one with the skull on his chest.

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S.H.I.E.L.D. had some hi-tech gear. He had to give them that. As he placed the suit on he realized how form-fitting it was. It was light like his Kevlar, but probably more resilient. It was a shame he'd have to return it after this was all over. Couldn't trust them not to bug or track it. It was thin, but had padding in all the right places. He could probably make that jump off the building with this stuff. But there was something missing. He walked over to one of the soldiers. They were all young. Younger than he was when he had joined the army. He had seen to many young men die in Vietnam.

They stopped talking as he approached. As he looked into their faces, he saw both sweat and admiration. They shouldn't be admiring someone like him. He walked right up to them. He towered over most of them.

"_Paint."_

The one up front was the only one to respond, other than some whispering.

"_Uh…y…yes, Sir."_

He pointed down the hallway to the right, near the doorway he came in through.

"_I…I believe there's a store room down that way, Sir."_

He looked down the hall, then back to the soldier.He made his way down the hall, and stopped at an open door. He flicked the light switch on. In the far right corner of the unfinished room stood a few cans of white paint. Quick-dry. Perfect. In the other corner were a few panes of glass stacked up against each other. He didn't see a pick to open the cans with, so he used one of his ka-bar knives he had kept. He looked at his reflection in the glass as he painted the skull on the armor. It was more than just a design. It was a gift.

One day in the park… _that_ day in the park…was his birthday. His last. His children, Lisa and Junior… gave him that shirt. Before they were killed. He came back and made them pay. The monsters who had killed them. He made them pay. It was revenge back then. He was in a liquor store one day, when a gang of punks came in and robbed the store; killed the manager and his family. They had red skulls on their shirts and masks. He wore that white skull shirt when he killed them. Sent a message that someone was going to do something about them. And he did. He punished them all. And he wore the skull ever since. It was more than a design. It was the only reminder he had of them. Reminded him of that quote: "He who does not punish evil commands it be done." Leonardo Da Vinci. He wasn't about to be that man. From then on he took it as his mission to punish all the monsters in the world; to ensure that what happened to him would never happen to anyone ever again. He came out of his thoughts and stared at the newly painted skull in the reflection of the glass. He cleaned his knife off with a rag and left the room.

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He was sitting next to a sleeping Jubilee. He had just finished putting on the S.H.I.E.L.D. suit. It was light, yet protective. He popped his claws easily through the fabric, checked them, and retracted them. He was ready for anything. Jean was lying on a stretcher in front of him. He tried to make her comfortable. He still fought back his feelings for her as he stared down at her. It looked like she was asleep, like nothing was wrong. She asked to be taken back to the mansion, and that was what he was going to do. And no ugly alien fuckers were going to stop him. He looked over at Fury, anxious to get this operation going. He was finishing up with Spider-Man. He heard someone walk up behind him. He looked up at the Punisher. They had tangled a few times. But they usually came up equals. They were two men fighting the same war, the way he saw it.

"_What d'you want, Castle?"_

His cold, scowling face didn't change when he replied.

"_Do you love her?"_

He couldn't make the words come out, even to someone who didn't care. He just looked at her. Castle took it as a yes.

"_Take care of her."_

He looked up and watched as the Punisher walked away to stand against a wall, waiting for Fury to begin. As if on cue, Fury stepped up on the stage again.

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If they were going, they were going now. They had wasted enough time here, and their window of opportunity was shrinking. He looked out at all the assembled heroes, and began. Just like addressing the troops in the 'Nam.

"_Alright, everybody listen up! It's time to light this candle. S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite imagery shows that the rock these bastards came in on is headed South down the Hudson river. It's one-twelve in the morning. By tonight that thing will be in open sea. Our only chance is to catch it. Before it passes out of the bay it's gotta go by The Raft; the S.H.I.E.L.D. superhuman nautical prison. Think of it as Alcatraz five-point-oh. If we can tow it to The Raft, we'll be able to stop these fuckers at the source. Punisher! You and War Machine will lead a battalion South through the meat-packing district to Rykers Island. Clean the place out and we can use it as a stepping-stone to The Raft. The next problem is the nests already in the city. Our resident Predator friend along with Venom, since you two like each other so much, will track down and eliminate these nests. _

He heard Wolverine growl up at him.

"_Hey Fury! What about these two?"_

He looked down at the two X-Men and grunted. He had almost forgotten.

"_Wolverine, you'll take a battalion to Central Park, find your jet, and get them the Hell outta here. Just kill as many of those fuckers as you can while you do it, eh?"_

Logan settled back down, so he continued.

"_Daredevil, Cage, and Black Widow will help get the citizens off this rock and over the Queensboro Bridge to safety. Fortunately our team in New Jersey is having no trouble. Pym and Vision will make their way to Avengers Mansion and see if they can find something we can use on these suckers. Iron Man! You & Spider-Man are going to the Baxter building to see what the Hell is going on with Richards. You got anything at Stark Tower we can use, Tony?"_

"_Sorry, Colonel. When I said my contract with S.H.I.E.L.D. was over, I meant it."_

"_Alright. Anyone not accounted for?"_

An odd voice came from the back of the crowd, as well as insane waving.

"_OH! OH! Pick me! Pick me!"_

Deadpool. Ugh.

"_Wilson, if I had a suicide mission you'd be the first one on it. But as it stands, what do you want?"_

The mental patient twirled a gun and patted his chin with it as he thought.

"_Well, let's see… I've never been on an Easter egg hunt before!"_

"_Sold. Any more questions?"_

He stared out at the silent group. All ready for the fight of their lives. Good.

"_Alright then. Everyone meets at Rykers Island by noon!"_

He raised his hand in salute to the crowd.

"_Dismissed!"_


	13. A Walk in the Park

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

The sun wasn't even up yet. He noted the time: two in the morning. Shit. This was gonna be a long day. He and the girls were sitting inside an armored Humvee, headed toward the park. Jubilee had fallen asleep and Jean was still out. He decided against a cigar for now. Not like it really did anything for him anyway. His healing factor make sure there was no addiction, and no lung damage.  
The Humvee was making its way up the streets at top speed, crashing through cars and trucks along the way. There were four soldiers in all. One driving, one shotgun, and two in the back with him. The two in the back kept staring at him on and off. It was annoying. Every time he tried to look back they looked away. Finally one spoke up.

"_So… you're the Wolverine."_

He responded, annoyed.

"_So they say."_

"_They also say you're indestructible."_

"_I aint dead yet."_

He hated when people asked questions about him. Mostly because he liked his privacy. But part of it was because he didn't know most of the answers himself. The kid picked up again.

"_I heard you worked with Captain America once."_

He was getting a little pissed off now. These kids needed to be set straight.

"_Look, kid. We're in a hostile environment, fighting an enemy we can't see or count, who'd like nuthin' better than to rip us apart and spread our parts all over this damn city. Get your head in the game."_

The truck went silent. He didn't like snapping at people. He probably shouldn't have. The kid was just an admirer. He wasn't used to that kind of thing. The kid stayed quiet and just sat back against the wall with his head down. He sighed regretfully.

"_What's your name, kid?"_

The boy replied, startled that he had talked to him again.

"_Private Collin Treavers, Sir."_

That name rang a bell. Treavers…

"_Was your dad Lieutenant Brian Treavers?"_

Treavers's eyes lit up.

"_Yeah. You knew my dad?"_

"_Fought with him in Vietnam. He was a good man… right to the end. Died carryin' a wounded soldier to the escape chopper. Sorry, kid."_

"_No, it's okay. Thanks, Sir."_

The driver called back.

"_Alright, we're entering the park. We've got two miles to the reservoir. Stay sharp people!"_

Treavers & the other soldier armed their weapons. He shook Jubilee awake. She was too young for this kind of stuff, but he couldn't leave her unprotected.

"_Wake up, kid."_

"_Ooohh…Logan? What'd I miss? Where are we going?"_

"_We're going to the Blackbird and we're flying you and Jean outta here."_

He heard something scramble over the roof. He felt the truck slow down and stop.

"_What the hell?"_

He stood forward and looked at the driver.

"_What's the hold-up?"_

The driver pointed forward. In the glow of the headlights sat a nest. Huge. There had to be at least twenty eggs. He looked around. Mist and goop was everywhere. It covered the trees. But there was something else. He saw something move in the goop. People! There were people everywhere. There was plenty of room in the truck. He knew what he had to do. He looked over at Treavers before opening the side door.

"_Keep them safe. I'm goin' out there."_

"_But Sir! They'll kill you!"_

"_Let 'em try!"_

He closed the door behind him & made his way to the closest trapped person and

started cutting away, making sure not to cut them. None of the eggs were open. Hopefully that meant they hadn't started breeding yet. The guy was barely conscious. He ripped off the last of the goop and slung the guy over his shoulder. As he passed by one of the eggs, he saw it shift. Without a thought he sliced it in half. The little monster inside withered and died, half it's frame strewn across the grass. He opened the door and threw the guy into one of the soldiers. He couldn't do this on his own. It would take all day.

"_One of you get out and give me a hand."_

Shotgun hopped out his side door and aimed his gun at one of the eggs. He pushed it away.

"_Keep it quiet. I'll take care of these, you get the people out." _

He went to work slicing up the eggs. He killed three, then four, then ten. The solider was moving along with the trapped person, taking them back to the truck. All was quiet. If he didn't know better, he'd have thought they'd be able to rescue them all. Shotgun was making his way back to another person when one of the eggs moved. He didn't notice it open up in time.

"_Kid! Watch out!"_

He leaped a second too late. The creature clamped to his face and stifled his screaming. He tried to pull it off by the tail, but it wouldn't let go. Shit! He tried to cut it off the soldier's face, but the acid blood burned him. He didn't mind, but the soldier was screaming in pain. He didn't see any alternative. He cut the soldier's throat. The little monster came through the slit he had made and jumped at him. He caught it and held it to the ground, crushing it under his boot. He looked around. The other eggs had opened, and the creatures were crawling all over the place. He picked up the soldier's gun and started shooting. Six or seven of them came down, but he couldn't stop two more from clamping onto the trapped civilians.

"_Mother fuckers! Come on! You want someone? Take me you little bastards!"_

Another soldier appeared at his side and let loose a jet of flame over all the eggs & infected people. He heard the people and the creatures scream as they died. Over the flames he heard screeching. The adults were back, and they were ready to play. They started coming through the trees. He fired the gun into the trees, trying to kill some of them. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Treavers.

"_Sir! We have to go! There's nothing we can do now!"_

He followed Treavers back into the Humvee as the driver started it up. He slammed and locked the door as the driver took off, crashing through the burning trees. He was going at top speed. Treavers's partner threw him another clip, which he slid into the gun and placed over his shoulder. He felt something slam up against the truck, making a big dent. Jubilee started screaming.

"_What're we gonna do!"_

"_We're gonna be fine, kid. Don't worry."_

Her heard something land on top of the Humvee. Treavers's partner started shooting through the top. But something came through the wall and stabbed him through the chest. It was a tail. His screams were drowned out as he started choking on blood. He went limp as the tail wrapped around him and pulled him through the wall, leaving a huge hole in the side. Treavers cried.

"_Kyle! NO!"_

One of those ugly bastards stuck it's head through the hole and hissed. It took the full force of Treavers's rifle to the head. Jubilee screamed. The driver called back in a panic.

"_We're coming up on the reservoir! Hold on… OH SHIT!"_

He felt the Humvee smack into something hard. The tires blew beneath them, and sent the truck flying through the air. He grabbed onto Jubilee and Jean as the whole vehicle slammed upside down and rolled over onto it's side. He heard the creatures screech as they surrounded the truck.

"_Jubilee, you okay?"_

"_Yeah, I'm fine."_

"_Make sure Jean's alright. Treavers!"_

Treavers moaned.

"_I'm okay Sir. Just dizzy."_

The two people they had saved had been tossed through the windshield and the hole in the side. He watched as one was quickly eaten.

"_Driver! You alright?"_

"_Yeah, I'm… AAAAGH!!"_

He saw the driver's feet struggle and heard his gun go off before he was dragged out the window. He unsheathed his claws and cut through the roof. He saw the Xenomorph dragging the driver into the feeding frenzy. He chased after it. He heard the driver screaming all the way, but his breath was cut short as he saw the creature's inner mouth crash through the driver's skull.

"_Oh, Jesus!"_

He held his stomach down and tackled the alien, slashing it half. He watched as the others finished eating the civilian and turned toward him. He brandished his claws in front of him.

"_Come on you fuckers! Come have a taste!"_

They leaped at him, and he slashed one's head open, and gutted another. One got him through the gut with it's tail, but he just sliced it off, ripped it out, and stabbed another one with it. Two pinned him arms down as another climbed onto his chest and screeched in his face. It extended it's inner mouth into his forehead. His head started ringing, but the adamantium stopped it. It screamed and he head-butted it, knocking it back. It raised it's tail to stab him, but it was blown away by something, as were the two holding him down. He stood up and looked back at Treavers, whose gun was smoking. Jubilee shot her fireworks past him and burned through them. Jean was still on her stretcher in the grass behind them. The reservoir was only forty feet away. All the Xenomorphs were dead, but he could hear more coming.

"_Nice shot, kid! Alright, let's go!"_

He ran toward them and grabbed one end of Jean's stretcher, with Treavers on the other end. They started crab-walking as fast as they could through the grass toward the waters edge. Jubilee ran ahead toward the Blackbird, which bent the light from the moon. As they approached she pressed the hatch button and extended the gangway. They set her down and Treavers stepped back.

"_I saw the other civilian land in the grass. I'm going back for 'em!"_

"_Treavers, wait! Shit!"_

He lifted Jean off the stretcher and slung her over his shoulder, carrying her up the steps and setting her in a chair. He strapped her in and looked over at Jubilee who had taken the pilots chair and thrown her jacket into the next chair.

"_Start 'er up kid!"_

"_Um, okay!"_

He watched as Jubilee started randomly pressing buttons. He ran back down the stairs to see Treavers coming back with the civilian over his shoulder. Treavers was only fifteen feet away when he saw a huge Xenomorph chasing after him. I was tinted red, and had a lot of armor on it. A Marauder!

"_Step on it, Treavers!"_

He realized that his still had the gun over his shoulder. The alien was right on top of Treavers, who was only five feet from the jet. He pulled it out, aimed, and fired. He cut the ugly son of a bitch in half. He watched as it's legs fell to the ground behind its torso. Treavers made it to the bottom of the steps and passed the still living civilian up to him. He strapped the woman into a chair and looked back in time to see Treavers slowly making his way up the ramp. It looked like a sprained ankle.

"_Looks like we showed them, huh Wolver…agh!"_

He watched as Treavers was pulled back down the ramp. He ran down the steps. The marauder he had cut in half had dragged itself across the ground. It was tearing away the S.H.I.E.L.D. armor and dragging itself up to Treavers's face.

"_AAAHH! Help me!"_

He jump down to the ground & made it to them. It extended it's inner jaw. But this time he was fast enough. He grabbed it and held it away from Treavers's face. He pulled it off him by it's inner mouth and sliced it off. It tried to crawl back to Treavers, but he held his boot against it's head, holding it down, and shoved the little jaw through it's face. It slumped over, dead. He kicked it away and looked over at Treavers, now bloody from the chest down. His armor was torn away with little tattered scraps of cloth remaining. He coughed up a little blood. He grabbed him by his armpits and hauled him up the ramp. He saw more Xenomorphs following them, and he heard a few jump onto the jet. He slammed the button and closed the ramp on another. He heard Jubilee scream and saw another one at the window.

"_Jubilee get us the fuck outta here!"_

Jubilee struggled for words through her screaming, but finally yelled.

"_Just take us back to the Mansion, damn it!"_

The switchboard lit up and a computer voice spoke.

"_Emergency voice command activated. Auto-pilot engaged. Returning to X-Mansion."_

Jubilee strapped herself in, and he sat down on the floor, holding Treavers down. Jean and the civilian were strapped in as well. He felt the jet pick up, and heard the Xenomorphs fall off, including the one at the window, as the jet turned and jolted upward into the sky. He heard Jubilee release a huge sigh of relief.

"_I am NEVER coming to New York City again."_

He grinned a little. But that disappeared when he looked down at Treavers. He was still bleeding heavily. He noticed Jubilee's jacket had fallen from the chair and grabbed it. He held it down on Treavers's chest wounds. He spat up a little more blood as he talked.

"_Mission accomplished, eh Wolverine?"_

"_Logan. Yeah. We did it."_

"_Cool, Logan. They okay?"_

He looked over at Jean, the civilian woman, and Jubilee and looked back at Treavers.

"_Just a scrape here and there. They'll be fine."_

Treavers coughed up more blood.

"_More than you can say for me."_

"_No, no. You're gonna make it."_

"_Yeah, sure."_

Treavers reached under his helmet and pulled out a folded up piece of paper.

"_Give this to my mom. Karen. She lives upstate near Manchester."_

"_Alright."_

He placed the note in his pocket.

"_You're gonna be alright, Collin. You're gonna be alright."_

He knew he was lying. The kid was going to die before they made it back to the Mansion. But he repeated the mantra through the kids last minutes. It was better to hear something hopeful when you die than nothing at all. He knew. He remembered how he had done the same thing to his father in Vietnam. He stared hopelessly into Treavers's fading eyes as the jet streamed through the air back to the mansion.


	14. Aerial Attack & a Gaurdian Devil

**Chapter Fourteen**

Once again he was in the air. Swinging from building to building on his webs. This new S.H.I.E.L.D. suit was great. It was light, flexible, and had padding in all the places his spider-suit didn't. He'd have to see what this was made of and try for an update. He didn't have a watch, so he guessed it was about two-thirty in the morning. The only light source was that of the streetlights, and the few cars whose headlights had been left on. He hadn't been out this late for a long time. He felt like he was in a state of tired vigilance; somewhere between exhausted & alert. His mind was in a haze, yet still focused. _Suck it up, Spidey. You're saving the world, here._ That was all he could tell himself. He was swinging on behind Iron Man on their way to the Baxter Building. Mr. Fantastic must have some kind of super-gadget to get rid of these things. A Humvee trio was following below, and two choppers weren't too far behind. The Humvees were plowing through cars and debris in the street with ease, hi-beams blazing. The choppers used searchlights to scan the area, and keep tabs on he and Iron Man. There hadn't been any incidents yet, and hopefully those things can't fly.

As he swung along, his thoughts couldn't help but drift toward Mary Jane & Aunt May. He hoped they were alright. His apartment was much further North above the Park, but hopefully they were on their way out of the city. He also hoped the message he gave to Daredevil reached them. Iron Man contacted him over the microphone built into the suit collars.

"_I still can't get a signal from Reed. It's like the whole tower just shut down."_

"_Can you hack in or something?"_

"_No. It's completely unresponsive. I might be able to when we get there, but it'll take a _

_few minutes. You know Reed."_

He had never known Reed Richards personally. He had buddied with Johnny Storm often, but he never really got a chance to associate with Reed. He was his elder by at least fifteen or twenty years, & it was just proper to call him Mr. Fantastic or Mr. F. His thoughts were interrupted as a soldier announced over the microphone.

"_Iron Man, Spider-Man! We've got something down here."_

He immediately swung to the side of a building an looked down, scanning the street. He saw Iron Man hover in mid-air & do the same. Just ahead of the convoy covering an intersection was a blast crater, with something in it. Iron Man spoke first.

"_That looks like… it is!"_

Without another word, Iron Man sped down toward the crater. He leaped off the building in the opposite direction, spun a web, and let it glide him over to the crater, where he landed flawlessly on an overturned car. As he looked closer at the ship in the crater, he recognized it.

"_It's a piece of the Fantasticar!"_

Iron Man was already trying to pry it open. He swung over and gave him a hand. The steel-glass roof had apparently deployed before the crash. It was crushed and cracked in places, but it was still tough. After a minute of tugging with Iron Man, they were able to pull it off. There in the seat, laying across the controls, was Mr. Fantastic. The slanted position of the ship caused him to fall to the side, but he and Iron Man caught him by the shoulders and laid him in a sitting position in the seat. He moaned and spoke.

"_Ooooooohhh… Tony? Spider-Man?"_

Iron Man lifted up his mask and spoke.

"_Yeah, Reed. It's us."_

A soldier approached from behind, and Tony barked an order that sent him in reverse.

"_We need some bandages!"_

Mr. F piped in too.

"_And some extra-strength Advil."_

He finally got a word in.

"_Are you okay, Mr. F?"_

He lifted his arms and checked himself over.

"_Well, Ben always was the better pilot. No broken bones, & no gashes or slashes. My _

_head is ringing but thankfully the roof took most of the damage, the way I designed it to."_

He felt his head and saw blood gather on his hands from the cut on his forehead.

"_Just a scratch."_

The soldier came rushing back with a medical kit and began wrapping a bandage around Mr. F's head. He looked around at the crash site and noticed a few burn holes in the ship.

"_What happened?"_

"_Ben and I were heading back to the Baxter Building to check on Sue & the kids. But we _

_were attacked. The front of the ship took a lot of damage. I had to disconnect to let Ben go on."_

Iron Man spoke again.

"_Attacked? By what?"_

He heard screeching in the distance and saw Mr. F's eyes widen as he pointed behind them.

"_Them!"_

He turned around to see a large flock of birds flying toward them. He turned back.

"_Look Mr. F, I know from experience that birds are hard to avoid over New York…"_

Mr. F cut him of as he spoke.

"_They're not birds. look!"_

He turned back and looked closer. Not birds. Bats? The flock approached and he saw what they really were: Xenomorphs! Bird-sized ones with wings. The helicopters, which had landed on lower buildings, were now under attack. Another soldier cam in over the mic.

"_We're under attack by these little… bird-things! We're getting killed up here!"_

He heard the heavy gunfire from the rooftops. But the flock was descending on them as well. Iron Man turned to face them and lowered his mask, the eyes lighting up electric blue. He wasted no time firing webs in all directions, dropping the monsters with ease as they struggled against the sticky substance. Iron Man used his repulser blasts to drive them back as well. Iron Man spoke.

"_I've got to go help the soldiers. I'll be back."_

With that, Iron Man blasted through the swarm. They began encircling them in a cloud. Mr. F used his widened hands to swat them away, and changed them into hammers to smack them. One of them flew in to attack, but he caught it by the wings. The creature struggled against his grip, attempting to cut and bite him. But he covered it in webbing , attached a line, and swung it around like a ball and chain. He knocked several out of the air before Mr. F called out to him.

"_Spider-Man! Can your webs conduct electricity?"_

He immediately saw the plan and responded.

"_No problem."_

He immediately ripped the control panel off of the Fantasticar and held the end of his web-line to a sparking wire.

"_There are __way__ too many electricity jokes."_

He webbed the two lines together and swung the trapped Xeno-bird around, sending an electric current through all the ones it touched. Screeches of pain surrounded them, and within a few seconds the swarm was down. He looked around and saw the soldiers finish with their attackers, and Iron Man return to them.

"_Well that seems to be the last of them. You boys okay?"_

"_We're fine Tony. The soldiers?"_

"_Thankfully that S.H.I.E.L.D. armor is tougher than it looks. Everyone's fine. Spider-_

_Man, what were those things?"_

"_Well, the Xenomorphs can absorb traits of their host organism, like we saw with in Wolverine's case. These must be from bats and birds."_

They looked around at all the fried beasts.

"_Anyone up for barbecue?"_

A soldier approached them and spoke.

"_Gentlemen, we have to keep moving."_

Mr. F responded.

"_He's right. We have to get to Sue & the kids. I'll ride in a chopper."_

He heard the choppers fire up again and lift off. Mr. F grabbed onto Iron Man's back.

"_Are you going to be okay, Mr. F?"_

"_Yes. Thank you, Spider-Man. And it's Reed."_

Iron Man took off and brought Mr. F…. Reed… to one of the helicopters. He heard Iron Man call him over the mic.

"_Welcome to the club, kid. Let's move."_

"_Thanks, Tony."_

With that he fired a web and swung into the air, heading toward the Baxter Building looming in the distance.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He had been stationed on the rooftop for about ten minutes now. So far there had been no trouble. Luke was at the bridge helping with car troubles, & Black Widow was managing the soldiers. Fortunately they were also able to give him another pair of "shock batons." Basically a cross between a nightstick & a cattle prod. Luke had told him all he had learned from the meeting. How they were weak against electricity, their tails, their mouths, their blood, breeding, everything. He was in far left field on this one, which is just how he liked it. Not too far, not too close. He used the echo of the crowds to see down the alleyways. He sat there on the rooftop meditating, like he had been taught all those years ago by his teacher Stick. He was focusing his mind & his senses on his surroundings.

He was about to call Black Widow at the bridge on his microphone to see if he could be of any help, but he heard something below. He focused on it. It sounded like the splashing of water, as if someone were running through puddles of it. He silently moved off of his perch and stuck his head over the edge of the building. Someone was running toward him from below. Along with the splashing he heard heavy breathing. He heard a slight feminine groan followed by a gunshot. A forty-five from the sound of it. The vibrations from the blast illuminated the alley below for him. It was a woman down there! He hadn't heard anything, but that gunshot said she was running from something. His mind analyzed all of this barely a second after the gunshot and, securing his batons in their pockets, instinctively leaped off the edge of the building, only to land of the fire escape of the opposite building two floors down and swing down off the bottom to the ground. He heard the woman's reaction: swinging toward him and pulling the trigger back. She was still about fifteen feet away, so he felt confident.

"_Who…who are you?"_

He held his hands up in innocence and moved toward her slowly. He could smell the electricity coursing through a street lamp at the end of the alley. When he could feel the slight heat of the light he motioned to the S.H.I.E.L.D. patch on the shoulder of his suit.

"_I'm with S.H.I.E.L.D.. I'm here to help."_

He heard her click the hammer of the gun forward into position and lower it, walking toward him.

"_Oh, thank God. Do you know where the evacuation is?"_

From her voice she sounded in her late twenties, and only the least bit frightened.

"_Yes, it's just a few streets behind me."_

"_Thank you! Come on!"_

To his surprise she took off in the opposite direction. He followed the sound of her running and breathing. He kept up easily, trying not to pass her.

"_What's the problem?"_

They turned a right corner out of the alley and down the street.

"_We were waiting in our apartment for my husband to come home when we heard on the news that they were evacuating the island. We drove as far as we could, but we were attacked by these creatures."_

They turned another corner, to the left this time.

"_Are you alright?"_

"_I chased them away, but we crashed the car, and now it's wrecked. I've been looking for help for about fifteen minutes now."_

"_And your friend?"_

"_My aunt-- she was a little shook up, and I had to leave her."_

He heard more water… a broken fire hydrant… flowing just up the street. He detected brick dust in the air as they came upon the car. She had apparently hit the hydrant, which creating a rising torrent over the street, as well as a lantern of sorts for him. The brick dust and the hydrants stream indicated that she had crashed through a wall. He could see the car. He stopped beside it as he heard the girl open the door and begin speaking with her aunt inside. She sounded elderly. He squeezed the mic on his collar.

"_Luke?"_

"_Yeah, man. What's up?"_

"_I've got two people over here who need to get to the bridge."_

He turned toward the girl.

"_Can she walk?"_

"_No, I think her ankle is twisted."_

He returned to Luke.

"_One can't walk. We need an evac on…"_

He turned back to the girl.

"_Where are we?"_

"_Um... the corner of Park & Lexington."_

"_You get that, Luke? Corner of Park & Lexington."_

"_Alright. I'm on my way!"_

The hydrant began to die down a bit, and he moved over to the girl, who was trying to move the old woman out of the car.

"_Help is coming."_

"_Good. I can't get her out. She's still dizzy from the wreck, and she can't move."_

He leaned into the car.

"_Is she alright?"_

"_I don't know. I think she's just dizzy."_

He placed his hand on the old woman's collar. Her heartbeat was stable, and there were no signs of internal bleeding. He felt her head. He felt no bruising or irregularities and pulled away.

"_She's fine. We should be able to…"_

He cut himself off to hear better. He had been focusing on the old woman, but picked up something else. Hissing.

"_Do you know how to use that thing?"_

He heard the girl pull the trigger back again.

"_Yes."_

"_Good. Because I think we're in trouble."_

The hydrant stream was still dying as the water pressure was slowly falling. But through it he could hear the hissing grow louder, and several screeches followed. He stood in front of the girl and backed her against the wall. The creatures were closing in.

"_Stay out of the water, and watch out for their blood; it's a powerful acid."_

He heard her swallow in acknowledgement. He saw two of the creatures enter beneath the water, and instinctively fired his baton. It collided with one's head, but was grabbed by the other. He was pulled in onto the ground, and rolled to avoid a tail. He delivered a roundhouse kick to the one left standing just as the first got back on its feet. He retracted the baton, twisted the two halves together, and extended them into a longer baton. The creature moved forward and slashed at him with its claws, meeting with his baton each time. Finally it grabbed both ends and swung its tail to decapitate him, which he barely avoided. He slipped off his feet onto his back on the water-slick ground and delivered a hard kick to the beast's jaw. It loosened its grip on the baton, and he took it before sweeping it off its feet with a low kick. He heard two gunshots rip through the water, and heard the Xenomorph screech as its tail was forcibly removed by them. He slammed his foot down on its neck and crushed it. He heard its breathing stop instantly, as well as the rest of it's body.

He looked up in the direction of the gunshot and raised a hand in thanks before being smacked in the back to the ground. The other creature was still fighting and had apparently used its powerful tail on him. He felt the slight shake on the ground and change in air pressure as the creature leaped through to air downward toward him. He rolled out of the way just in time. He felt the creature's tail bury in the asphalt where his head had been seconds before. He stood up and fired his baton at the ground beneath its head while running around the other side. It bounced off the ground with the force, and he caught it, retracting it immediately around the creature's neck. The wire pulled the creature off the ground and into him, where he tried to suffocate it. Unfortunately he was reminded that he didn't have super-strength when the creatures used its tail to separate them, causing him to drop his batons. He heard them come back together as they hit the ground. He heard it rip the end of its tail out of the ground and move toward him; tail extended to kill. The instant the creature was overtop of him, he used his hands to vault forward and deliver a strong kick to it's chest with both feet. He picked up his batons once again. He suddenly remembered the shock batons he had been given. He pulled one from the holster at his side and placed it in his mouth. The water had stopped coming. It was now or never. He aimed while spinning and fired his baton once more; the spin causing it to curve around the creature. He threw the other end of the baton in the opposite direction so as to trap the creature. He yelled out to the woman for her safety.

"_Get clear of the water, NOW!"_

"_I'm clear!"_

He immediately did a backward hand-spring away from the large pool of water, turned the shock baton to maximum voltage, took cover behind a mailbox, and threw the shock baton like a javelin into his target. The sound of the massive shock ripped through the air around him. He ducked behind the mailbox in time to hear the creature screech in pain. The assault had ended as quickly as it had started. He looked out from behind the mailbox and heard the crackling of residual shocks surging through the dead monster. He smelled smoke, and burning; that thing was cooked well. He stepped forward to retrieve his baton. Thankfully the S.H.I.E.L.D. suit was water-and-shock-proof. He found it a foot or so away from the creature; it had apparently escaped it before he had fired the deadly missile. Too late. Too bad. He picked it up and found it was no worse for the wear, & placed it back in his holster. He reached for the shock baton, but it was apparently burned out. He spoke to the girl.

"_Are you alright?"_

"_Yes. Is it dead?"_

"_Yes. But save your bullets. This isn't over yet."_

He heard her cock her forty-five again. He cracked his neck and held the batons at the ready, as he heard more hissing and screeching approaching. He squeezed his mic.

"_Luke, better step on it with that evac."_


	15. Going Up

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN- Going Up**

They hadn't seen anymore of those flying Xenomorphs, thankfully. They were coming up on the Baxter Building now. The only source of light came from the exterior flood lights on the building. But the building was covered in some kind of strange, dark goop. Iron Man called Reed through the mics.

"_Alright Reed, how do we get in?"_

"_We're completely locked out? Good. Then nothing has gotten in. The building has locked down to Defcon 4. In case of any kind of physical threat from animals or creatures, the building locks down every floor, and separates all the rooms. The only thing getting in and out should be fresh oxygen."_

The surrounding buildings were too low to bring him to the top, so he began scouting below. Iron Man responded.

"_So, how are we supposed to get in?"_

"_The only way the security will power down is if Ben, Sue, Johnny, or myself were to deactivate it from inside. Otherwise, the building stays locked down for twenty-four hours."_

He swung around to the other side of the building, searching for any kind of entrance.

Iron Man spoke again.

"_We don't have twenty-four hours, Reed. We need a way in. And if no radio signals can reach the inside, we'll just have to make one."_

He found an entrance. But relief was replaced by sheer terror. He finally spoke up.

"_We've got a hell of a lot less than twenty-four hours. We don't need to make an entrance, because the Xenomorphs already have."_

He stuck to the wall next to the hole. Iron Man and Reed's chopper found his position immediately. He heard he creatures screeching and growling inside. He was about to swing through the hole, when his spider-sense warned him otherwise. He held back and heard a loud grunt as a screaming Xenomorph flew out through the hole twenty stories down to its death. Green blood spilled over the concrete and goop. Reed's helicopter turned its spotlight through the hole to see Ben Grimm standing at the edge of the hole.

"_That oughtta teach ya to hitch a ride with the Thing."_

Reed spoke over a megaphone to his friend.

"_Ben! Are you alright?"_

"_Hey, Stretch! Never better."_

He looked over at Ben.

"_What happened?"_

"_Ah, some schmuck tried to get a free ride. As you can see, he kinda… ahem… interfered wit my pilotin' skills."_

Reed stretched across the gap to stand next to Ben.

"_Can we access the mainframe from here?"_

Reed began searching around the small room. He swung in to give him a little help. Ben stood uncomfortably next to his crashed Fantasticar pod, scratching the back of his head guiltily. He pushed the heap of twisted metal aside and tapped Reed's shoulder before gesturing to the wrecked wall.

"_Uh, izat what your lookin' for?"_

The computer against the wall was completely trashed. Ben's impact through the wall of the building had destroyed it. They couldn't deactivate the defenses, or call Mrs. Richards from this level. He gestured to the wall opposite the hole where an elevator door stood.

"_What about the elevators?"_

Reed replied, frustrated.

"_No. The elevators lock down immediately when the alarms go off."_

Ben piped up.

"_We could take the maintenance stairs."_

"_We don't have that kind of time."_

Reed rubbed the bridge of his nose, no doubt exhausted. Iron Man landed inside.

"_Couldn't we use the shaft? We could pull the locks off the elevator and push it upward."_

Reed put his fist to his chin in thought.

"_That could work. I should be able to undo the locks. We're on the twentieth floor. The next terminal is on the thirtieth. Sue and the kids should be on the thirty-fifth floor."_

Ben spoke, concerned.

"_Hey, what about me? The elevator can't take my weight!"_

Iron Man spoke just as he began prying the elevator door open.

"_Don't worry, big fella. I can rewire the elevator into my suit."_

The doors came apart and Tony started on the elevator wirework.

"_Reed, can you work your magic on the locks? I've got the elevator now."_

Without a word Mr. Fantastic proved his name and slipped straight through the top of the elevator. He heard the clang of the locks release before Reed's flattened form slid down through the bottom of the elevator, and unhooked the two remaining locks. Reed stretched back up through into the elevator next to Iron Man. The elevator lifted up just enough to allow a person into or under it. Ben climbed into the elevator with help from he and Iron Man. He climbed into the elevator as well as Iron Man flew beneath it. The doors closed and he felt the elevator rise as he heard Iron Man over the mic.

"_Okay, going up!"_

* * *

He delivered a solid kick to the back of the grounded beast's head, snapping its neck. The one behind him swung its tail, allowing him to see it, and dodge so that the tail stuck straight into the ground. Holding his weight with his left hand, he swept his right leg backward, knocking the Xenomorph off its feet. Flipping over & landing on his right hand, he dropped his heel down on its neck. He vaulted backward in a handspring and kicked the next Xenomorph in the chest, sending it colliding into another. He landed and used his full-charge shock-baton to zap the two on the ground. Their screeches were more than enough to assure him of their deaths. He was breathing hard now, and his pulse was racing. He heard Luke's voice over the mic in his collar.

"_I can see you. I'm almost there. LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!"_

He heard the creature's tail approach, and moved in time to turn his head back and swing his left fist into the alien's face. He felt the wind from the blade of the tail as it slid just past his left cheek. He delivered a hard right followed by a reverse roundhouse kick that would make Chuck Norris look bad. He heard the young woman's forty-five cock backward and leaped out of the way.

"_Shoot!"_

She obediently took out the Xenomorph. From what he could tell, it went straight through its mouth. He felt pain in his shoulder and felt it. He could feel the texture of his blood flowing from the cut on his shoulder.

He finally heard the dull roar of the helicopter, as well as more Xenomorph screeches. The scene became clearer as the chopper landed in the street. He took cover with the girl behind the car as it landed, then he approached Luke's heavy boots hitting the ground. He could barely distinguish his voice from the helicopter, but he could see his form just fine.

"_You okay?"_

He yelled in reply.

"_Get the woman out of the car! We're fine!"_

He followed Luke to the car and spoke to the young woman as Luke lifted the elderly woman out.

"_Get to the chopper!"_

He grabbed the young woman's hand and led her to the safety of the center of the windy vortex. Luke had already passed him with the old woman in his arms. He heard him place her flat down on the open floor of the chopper. Just as he reached the same spot, he heard the pilot scream in terror. He heard the glass break, along with what sounded like bone. The scream stopped short, allowing Luke's comment to invade his ears.

"_God damn it!"_

He felt the young woman pull away from him and heard the roar of the forty-five, followed by the creature's screech. He regained his grip on her wrist and lifted both of them into the chopper as he heard Luke's boot smash through the rest of the window, colliding with the alien's strange flesh. He felt the chopper lift off the ground. Apparently cars, guns, drinks, & business weren't Luke's only talents.

"_Hold on OH SHIT!"_

He felt the helicopter bank right quickly. He heard a screech as the Xenomorph Luke had avoided fell to the ground. The young girl was holding on to the overhanging cable, but he felt the old woman roll to the side. The young woman screamed.

"_AUNT MAY!"_

He let go of the overhanging cable, bending down to grab the woman, getting his left arm under her shoulders, but her weight was too much. He fell out of the chopper with her. He quickly pulled his baton from his right pouch and fried the grapple upward, clinging to the edge of the chopper. He had the old woman, but he didn't know for how long. He screamed up to his friend.

"_LUKE!"_

He heard Luke bark an order to the girl.

"_Take the controls!"_

"_Okay!"_

He felt the wire tremble as Luke grabbed hold. He was really glad he had a friend with super-strength. As he got his elbow over the side of the chopper, he pulled the old woman up to Luke, who lifted her in. He heard fabric rubbing and a lock click. Luke must have locked her down with a belt of some kind. As he got his other arm over the top, he felt Luke lift him into the chopper. He laid down as the chopper continued to rise. He heard the side doors close. He heard Luke's voice come from the pilot's seat.

"_You alright, Daredevil?"_

"_Yeah, fine. Thanks for the assist."_

He felt heat against his face as the young woman kneeled down next to him. He felt her lips press against his cheek.

"_You saved my aunt. Thank you so much."_

The kiss had left him a bit bewildered. He wasn't the out-and-open superhero type like Spider-Man, so he wasn't used to rewards like that.

"_Ah, no problem, Miss?"_

"_Missus. Mrs. Parker."_

Suddenly he remembered the message Spider-Man had given to him. But he wanted to be sure.

"_Mrs. Mary-Jane Parker?"_

"_Yeah. How did you know?"_

He heard the surprise in her voice. And her heartbeat was fine, considering the excitement, so she wasn't lying.

"_Spider-Man gave me a message for you from your husband. Peter Parker?"_

"_Yes! What is it?"_

"_Spider-Man said that your husband is fine. S.H.I.E.L.D. picked him up and he's across _

_the bridge, waiting for you. He's safe."_

She breathed a sigh of relief and sat down next to her aunt. He lifted himself up to sit against the opposite wall, his back to Luke in the pilot seat.

"_Pardon me for asking, but how does your husband know Spider-Man?"_

She hesitated for a moment. He could hear the nervous twitch in her breathing.

"_He takes pictures of him for the Daily Bugle. All those front-page photos are his work."_

She wasn't lying. He felt a little more at ease now, so he decided to poke a little fun at himself.

"_Sorry. I… don't read the papers that often."_

Or at all for that matter. If he ever heard the front page news it was from Foggy over breakfast at the diner. But he did recall him saying something. _'This Parker guy who takes pictures of Spider-Man? He's amazing. I don't know how he does it. If only he could get pictures of the Daredevil.'_ For some reason Foggy was obsessed with Daredevil. Maybe one day he'd tell him the truth. He was pulled from his thoughts by Luke's voice from behind him.

"_Alright, we're about halfway there. Just sit tight."_


	16. Bombs Away

_(NOTE: Sorry this took so long. Chapter Seventeen won't be up a for a while. I need to gather myself so that it doesn't take this long again. Trust me; by the end of this, you'll want to take a break for a while. Just don't freak out! -War Journalist)_

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

**Bombs Away**

They were coming up on the thirtieth floor. With Iron Man pushing from below and over-riding the controls, it was a quick, smooth ride. Ben seemed to enjoy it.

"_Aw, man. It's been too long since I've been in an elevator. Feels like I'm back in da twenty-first century. Know what I mean?"_

He was watching the numbers climb as the elevator did. When it finally reached thirty, the door bell rang, followed by Tony's voice over the mic.

"_Thirtieth floor. Everybody off."_

The door opened, and the head of a Xenomorph entered through. In reaction, Ben charged through it, blowing the doors off the elevator. When he and Reed exited the elevator, they found several alien bodies strewn across the room. Ben returned to them with the trampled one over his shoulder.

"_Eh, false alarm."_

He noticed the creature bleeding & saw wisps of smoke and immediately pulled the Xenomorph from his friend's shoulder.

"_Ben, didn't that hurt?"_

"_What?"_

"_The creature's blood! It should have eaten right through you."_

Ben looked over at his blood-soaked shoulder and wiped the remains off, revealing his rock-hard skin to be perfectly fine, but bits of smoke were still rising. Reed replied.

"_Fascinating. It seems that your mineral skin is almost completely resilient to the acidic effects of the Xenomorph's blood."_

Although feeling relieved for Ben, He turned his belt light on, revealing more and more Xenomorph bodies. He examined one. Pulling a piece of charred skin from one's head, he smelled something like charcoal. Tony's voice came over the mic.

"_You guys okay up there?"_

He replied, squeezing his mic.

"_Yeah, Tony. Just a false alarm."_

He felt his spider-sense kick up as a light emanated from the reception desk. A beautiful blonde woman had appeared from nowhere. She spoke warily.

"_Identify yourselves."_

He felt the floor heat up just a bit as Reed stretched across the room to face the hologram.

"_Roberta! It's me! It's Reed!"_

A robotic arm came up from behind the desk. Reed stretched his eyelid open, so that the arm could scan his retina. After a few seconds, the floor cooled down again and the arm retracted. The woman spoke again. This time in a friendly tone.

"_Oh, hi Doctor Richards. Sorry about that. We've been getting some unexpected guests."_

He held up the charred skin sample.

"_We can see that. What happened here?"_

Reed stepped between them.

"_Spider-Man, this is Roberta, our electronic secretary. Roberta, this is Spider-Man."_

He extended his hand to shake hers, but her holographic hand slipped right through, leaving a tingling sensation. Reed spoke again.

"_The security for this level is an electrical shock from the metal floor. And apparently…"_

Ben cut him off.

"_Apparently it was enough to fry these mooks to a crisp."_

So their theory was right; electricity does have adverse effects on them. Good. Now they had an edge. Reed spoke to Roberta.

"_Did any of the creatures get past you?"_

"_Most of the security cameras were disabled just before the attack. I think more of them may have made it to the upper levels through the other elevator shafts. I initiated Defcon 4 when the ground floors were being breached."_

"_Are Sue and the kids still here?"_

"_Yes. I detect the heat signatures of Mrs. Richards, Franklin Richards, and Valeria _

_Richards on the top floor."_

"_Okay. Shut down the security."_

"_It will require thirty minutes to fully disarm all the emergency security."_

Tony's voice suddenly came over the radio.

"_Holy shit!"_

He squeezed his mic to respond.

"_Tony, what's going on?"_

"_They're climbing up the tower!"_

He could hear the screeching in the background, followed by a metallic slam. Blasts from Tony's repulser rays followed. Ben asked, being unable to hear the mic.

"_What's goin' on?"_

He reacted quickly.

"_We need to lift the elevator!"_

The three of them moved toward the elevator and tried to lift it before Iron Man spoke again.

"_No, don't! There's too many of them!"_

Another repulser blast, followed by screeching.

"_If you lift the elevator, they'll get up to that floor. You have to keep going… find Sue and the kids."_

He stood speechless, having no idea of what to do. Reed spoke.

"_What's going on?"_

"_He's under attack. We have to drop the elevator."_

Ben and Reed both moved up next to him so that they could hear the mic.

"_You have to. It's the only way to get them all."_

He squeezed his mic again, unwilling to accept what he was told.

"_No, Tony! We'll get you out! There has to be a way!"_

"_There's too many of them for me to handle! Dropping the elevator would crush them all. It's the only way to be sure!"_

Reed spoke this time.

"_Tony you…"_

"_Don't worry about me! Drop the elevator and get to the kids! Do it now! I can't hold out!"_

He couldn't move. He was trying to think of something to do… anything! But his mind was blank. He looked at Reed, hoping to find an answer in his eyes. But to no avail. Reed looked down at the floor as he spoke to the oblivious Roberta.

"_Roberta… release the emergency switch on the elevator."_

"_Doctor Richards, that would drop the elevator thirty stories down. At this height it would be salvageable."_

"_I know. Do it."_

"_Doctor's orders."_

The elevator doors closed, and released steam, pressure-locking them. He heard the blare of an alarm through the doors, followed by the sound of mechanical parts breaking. Tony came over the mic one last time.

"_Hey guys? Give 'em Hell from me."_

And finally, the sound of a rope snapping. A loud _WHOOSH_ filled their ears as the elevator fell earthward thirty stories. The sound of the crash was barely audible; muffled by the air-sealed elevator doors. He still couldn't believe what happened. He squeezed his mic again.

"_Tony?"_

No response. Only static. Reed stood with his back against the wall. Ben had his arm against the wall, his head leaning on his forearm. There was a long silence. He finally spoke up.

"_Reed. Do you have anything… any kind of device we can use on these things?"_

Reed opened his reddened eyes and responded.

"_Yeah. I've got something. Follow me."_

There was vengeance in his voice. Something he hadn't heard before. Reed made his way to the door marked "maintenance stairway" & placed his hand on it to push it open. Roberta spoke in her cheery voice again, being oblivious to the events that had taken place.

"_Doctor Richards, my scanners detect several strange life forms on the floors above. Unfortunately, many of the security cameras have been destroyed."_

"_Thank you, Roberta. Ben, you go first. I'll follow. Spider-Man, you can cover the back."_

He fell into line behind Reed and Ben. Ben kicked the door open. Seeing the empty staircase, they began their ascent.

* * *

Luke had found some bandages in the med-pack and he had wrapped his sliced shoulder up. It had stopped hurting now. He heard something over the mics as they approached the bridge.

"_Damn it all! Cage, where are you?"_

He squeezed his mic.

"_Luke is busy flying the chopper right now. What's goin on, Widow?"_

He heard automatic gunfire in the background, and the familiar screeching, along with screaming.

"_We're being attacked down here! We need assistance!"_

Luke spoke over the mic.

"_We'll be right there. Open the doors!"_

He got up and opened the side door, hanging tightly to the safety cable. The sound of the turning blades was enough to illuminate the scene below. The makeshift barracks twenty feet from the bridge was under attack. There were dozens of creatures. The soldiers' automatic weapon fire wasn't enough to keep them back for long. As the Black Widow yelled into her mic, the radio signal made her stand out among the other sounds. He rotated his shoulder to make sure it had stopped hurting too badly. Nothing. He let go of the safety cable and focused on keeping his balance. The sound of the blades revealed a street light ten feet below. He grabbed a baton and separated it, showing the wire.

He leaped out of the chopper and looped the wire around the streetlight. As he fell, he swung his leg around to kick one of the attacking Xenomorphs aside. He avoided the sound of the approaching bullets, ducking and weaving as fast as he could. Another Xenomorph approached from behind. He fell backward to the ground, avoiding its claws, and rolled his feet over his head, kicking it in the chest, and landing in a crouching position. He heard Black Widow call him over the sound of the gunfire. He ran around the small barricade meant to keep out the beasts and soon found her. As he approached, she grabbed the back of his head and pushed him down, releasing a spray of bullets in the direction he had come. He heard someone else huddling behind her as she spoke.

"_This is the Bomb Squad."_

He could only hear one person. Must be what's left of the Bomb Squad. Widow fired off more rounds before she ducked down to talk.

"_We're going to blow this end of the bridge."_

"_What good will that do? They can swim."_

"_Don't worry about it. I'm going with him to make sure it gets set up. Cover our backs."_

The two of them took off toward the bridge. He heard Luke's helicopter hover over the battle field, as well as a loud impact sound as his friend leaped down from the chopper to the pavement.

There was a machine gun next to him. He had never really fired a gun before. He picked it up and put his cheek next to it. His heartbeat radiated through the gun, allowing him to see down the barrel. And the radiating sound of the chopper helped identify the Xenomorphs. He wrapped his finger around the trigger, remembering what everyone says: 'squeeze, don't pull.' He focused hard on the creatures, and fired short bursts. The sound of screeching and squealing told him that he had hit. He fired again and again, trying to avoid Luke and the soldiers. More and more monsters fell from the power of the weapon. He could smell the gunpowder, and became fueled by it. One of the creatures had knocked Luke down & was going for a soldier. He fired, but the clip was empty!

Having no idea where a replacement was, he leaped over the wall between him and the battle, and brought the butt of the gun down hard on the creature's head. It was down, but its tail collided with his chest and sent him several feet away. He felt his chest. The S.H.I.E.L.D. suit has probably saved him from a few broken ribs, but the attack had left a large cut through the material. He heard the creature's feet as it came up on him fast. He heard the sound of metal stretching & electricity crackling as Luke pulled the street light from the concrete.

"_Stay down!"_

The beat of the creature's feet on the ground stopped as he heard a heavy _CLANG_. He heard the corpse of the beast land a few yards away. He pulled himself from the pavement, ready for more. But to his surprise, he heard nothing but the whirl of the helicopter & Luke's booted footsteps coming toward him.

"_You okay, man?"_

"_Yeah. Nice move."_

He heard the lamp post hit the ground behind Luke.

"_Doin' what I can with what I got. Looks like this party's over."_

He heard Black Widow over the mic.

"_Ah! Damn it!"_

The faint sound of her sidearm carried through to him, as did screeching. He ran at full speed past Luke, leaping over the barricade toward the struggling Black Widow. He heard the scream and death rattle of the Bomb Squad member. He dove fist-first into the attacking Xenomorph, but ended up beneath it as they rolled over. He felt his head move over the edge of the sidewalk, hanging over the water below. It stood over him, holding its claws menacingly.

"_Hello, comrade."_

The creature turned around to face her. He tried to get up, but she spoke otherwise.

"_Stay down, I can handle this ugly zasranec!"_

Her tongue curved around the clearly-serious Russian insult. It proved effective too. The creature charged at her, only for her to sidestep & deliver a kick to the back of its head, sending it to the ground a few feet away. It stood up again and retaliated with a swing of its tail, only to be met with a sweeping kick. While it was stunned from the fall, she grabbed its tail and stabbed it in the chest with it. He heard electricity crackle as she used her 'widow's bite' in her bracelets and sent a powerful charge through the tail into its body. Its death-screech was quickly followed out by the smell of charcoal.

He noticed that she wasn't even breathing hard as she quickly helped him to his feet. They had broken off their previous relationship because he was too protective of her. Now it was clearer than ever that she did not need his help. A beeping sound invaded his thoughts and his realization turned to fear.

"_The bomb is ticking! Let's go!"_

As he ran alongside her, the chopper lowered to the ground, allowing them to climb in.

She pushed her way to the pilot's seat, and lifted them quickly off the ground. He closed the door. Both Mrs. Parkers were sitting fine, with Luke in the co-pilot's seat.

"_Where're you going? We've got to get these people across the bridge!"_

"_The bridge is about to blow; I'd rather not be crossing it!"_

Remembering his last encounter with an explosion, he clamped his hands to his ears. The explosion rocked the chopper, setting off alarms and forcing him to hold his ears closed. The chopper swung hard to the left, back toward the bridge.

"_Damn it, we've been hit! Hold on!"_

He quickly moved to cover Mrs. Parker and her Aunt as the helicopter quickly descended. He felt a bump as the chopper struck the edge of the sidewalk and plummeted into the water.

The hole in the windshield caused the cabin to fill quickly. He pulled the older woman free of her safety belt as he took his deep breath. He remembered that most people die in a water landing because of their harnesses. He heard the glass break, and felt the vibrations as Luke and Black Widow escaped. He tried to open the side door that faced up, but was once again confronted with his lack of super strength. He heard the metal of the door shearing apart and moved backward. Two beings moved past him in the water before something came from behind and between his legs. He grabbed what felt like a fin, as whatever-it-was swam to the surface. He breathed heartily as he felt himself break the surface. He heard a high-pitched squeak from the creature. Feeling its head, he realized he had been saved by a dolphin! But a dolphin couldn't have taken that door apart. He heard a loud splash as something else emerged from the water. He heard the exhalation of Mrs. Parker and her Aunt followed by a familiar, somewhat pompous voice.

"_Fear not, land-dwellers. You are in the capable hands of Imperious Rex."_

Black Widow was the next to speak up.

"_Many thanks for the assistance, King Namor."_

"_Tis not a burden for my great strength & trident. These beasts what traverse the seas are a threat to my kingdom, and shall be dealt with as such."_

He must have used the trident to cut through the door. He hadn't heard much of Namor for a long time. Not that they were associated. He heard Namor lift from the water and fly toward the shore. It always puzzled him how a mer-man could fly. He felt the dolphin move forward and held on, hearing two more surface and apparently assist Luke and Black Widow.

"_Matthew, are you alright?"_

"_Yeah. I'm fine."_

He was exhausted, and glad he wouldn't have to swim all the way to shore. He was definitely ready for another rest.

* * *

They'd had no trouble so far. They had passed the thirty-first floor, the living quarters, and found it empty aside from more slime. He was twitchy; anxious now. He hadn't actually fought these creatures before. Part of him wanted to see how he'd measure up against a full-size Xenomorph. Another part wanted revenge. But he was well aware that each time he had lost his temper, someone else had lost more. And he wasn't about to allow his anger to let anyone get hurt. They were finished searching the thirty-second floor, and again found nothing but slime. They lined up once again; Ben in front, Reed in the middle, and He covering the back. Ben crashed through the locked door. His orange friend was apparently too pissed-off to be subtle. He didn't blame him. They hurried up the stairs to the thirty-third, which served as Reed's lab that they had been in earlier. Reed spoke.

"_I've got just the thing to erase these horrid monsters from the face of the Earth."_

Ben was about to punch the door down when Reed stretched his way around him. Ben lowered his fist as Reed stretched his finger through the keyhole. His spider-sense gave off a slight flare as the lock clicked open. The examination table was still sitting upward, the neutralized blood was still in the beaker, and the next door was shredded open. As they slowly neared the door, his heart skipped a beat as Roberta's voice abruptly came over the monitor system.

"_There are ten minutes remaining before security shut down."_

Reed stretched his arm over to the wall and flicked on the light switch. The room was cast in a strange dark blue light. He looked up to see the slime covering the ceiling. The next room didn't light up at all. They must have knocked out the lights. Ben stood to the side of the door to allow them a look inside. The walls were covered in cupboards labeled with chemicals and other basic equipment; obviously a supply room. There was a door directly across the circular space labeled 'Dangerous.' But the focal points of the room were large, leathery, green, and oval-shaped. He shined his belt light across what must have been about a dozen eggs. Then his light touched something large and red. A Marauder. He quickly doused the light. It must have been sleeping. When they heard no reaction, Reed gestured to the door and whispered.

"_We need to get through that door. Shine your light on the count of three. _

_One…two…three!"_

He turned his belt light back on, only to see that the Marauder was gone! His spider-sense went wild. With a screech, the large red creature came through the door from the ceiling, tackling them to the ground. Its tail came down just between he and Reed. He rolled from beneath it as Reed slid between its legs. He leaped across the room to the opposite wall and began firing web at it. Reed was able to stand again before its tail and claws cleaved through the webbing. Ben, still on the ground to its left, licked it hard into the opposite wall; crashing into a cupboard and breaking various glass beakers. Reed took the opportunity and wound his body around it; holding its arms and legs down with his and stretching his torso to hold its body and head.

"_Get through the door!"_

He shot a web line to the door and pulled himself to it, sticking to the wall alongside it.

He saw no handle; only a scanner of some kind. It apparently slid open from inside, because there were no hinges to bed.

"_I can't open it!"_

Reed was still wrestling to hold down the Marauder.

"_Then break it down!"_

Ben ran through the door, brandishing his fists.

"_I got yer lock pick right here!"_

His spider-sense once again flared up as the eggs began opening. He fired webs to hold several of them close.

"_Ben, watch out! The eggs are…"_

His spider-sense cut him off as he saw a face hugger fly through the air toward Ben's face. He fired a web, but missed by only inches. It clamped itself over his friend's face.

"_NO!"_

He watched, horrified, as he wrestled with the creature. Finally, he ripped the creature off and threw it to the ground, blood adorning but not scarring his face. He spit out part of the creature's tube, along with what looked like the small Xenomorph fetus.

"_Yech! I don't think so!"_

With that he crushed it under his foot. Reed spoke.

"_I could use a little help!"_

He looked over to see the creature shaking loose from Reed's grip. He ran over & began punching it as hard as he could, trying to knock it out. He heard Ben break down the door just as Reed lost his hold and its tail knocked him away. He grappled with the creature, but He too was tossed aside next to Reed. The Xenomorph roared at them and extended its tail as Ben came up behind it.

"_Pardon me!"_

The beast turned as Ben swung the steel door and sent the creature flying through a safety glass view screen into an adjacent lab. Reed quickly spoke as he regained his stance.

"_Ben, smash the eggs!"_

He heard Ben go to work as he leaped through the broken window to face the struggling Xenomorph. He tried to turn his belt light on, but noticed it had been smashed when he was tackled. He noticed his frustration had been mounting and saw his chance. He grabbed the beast by one of the protruding spikes on its back and pulled it up to him. He punched it hard across its jaw.

"_You invaded my city."_

He punched it again, harder this time.

"_You killed my friend."_

He punched it in the collar area this time, making an imprint in the wall.

"_And now…"_

He let it fall against the wall, where it staggered to its feet. He grabbed one end of the steel operating table in the center of the room and pulled it free from the bolts that held it down.

"…_you broke my God-damn belt light!"_

With every ounce of strength he had he flung the table into the creature, crushing it against the wall. The table fell to the ground leaving an imprint, as well as the squashed Marauder, in the wall. He breathed heavily for a moment, letting it all out. Reed opened the door to the lab.

"_Come on, we need to hurry!"_

He followed Reed out of the lab at a demon's pace and followed him into the 'Dangerous' supply room past the goop left from the crushed eggs. Reed opened a large metal briefcase & pulled out a strange-looking object. It was white, perfectly smooth, & shaped like a half-circle. It had a lever or handle of some sort protruding from it.

"_What is it?"_

He followed Reed back out of the room back to the stairway, where Ben was waiting. Ben's eyes immediately focused on the object.

"_Reed! That's the…! You're not gonna…!"_

Reed interrupted Ben's frantic speech & attached the object to his belt.

"_If I have to. Let's go!"_

Reed sped up the stairs with Ben right behind him, and he followed suit.

"_Ben, what is that thing?"_

"_You don't wanna know, kid."_

Just as they passed the thirty-fourth floor, Roberta's voice once again came over the monitor.

"_There are five minutes remaining before security shut down."_

Reed stretched himself to the top of the stairway, and he spun a web to do the same. The top floor was the vehicle hanger and workshop. As Ben reached them, they smashed through the door. Slime-covered eggs were strewn across the large open space. All the machinery was covered in goop. And sitting in front of the large view window below the launch doors was a large sac. On the same wall was a large bubble in the hardened slime. Reed called out.

"_Susan?!"_

They all stayed quiet… until he heard a muffled response.

"_Reed?"_

"_Susan!?"_

The sound had come from the bubble.

"_Over there!"_

They all made their way to the bubble and began pulling it apart.

"_Susan?!"_

The shell finally cracked open, and a young boy clung to Reed's leg.

"_Daddy!"_

A young girl followed and clung to the opposite leg.

"_Daddy!"_

He could practically hear emotional music as Reed kneeled down & hugged his children.

"_Franklin! Valeria! Oh, I love you so much!"_

He tightened his grip as Susan stepped out from the bubble.

"_Reed!"_

"_Oh, Sue."_

He picked up his children and included his wife in a tight embrace, kissing her as hard as he could. He couldn't take his eyes off the beautiful sight before him. His spider-sense flared again, and he noticed some movement behind the sac.

"_Uh, Reed?"_

Reed released his family and looked at the sac. From behind it emerged a fully-grown Queen Xenomorph. It reared its head back and screeched. Reed held his arms out as a shield while Ben pulled them back toward the stairway. Reed spoke with the fury and vengeance he had heard before.

"_Get away from them you BITCH!"_

He enlarged his fists and stretched up to the Queen's height, throwing a powerful right hook. Ben slammed the stairway door closed.

"_They're coming up this way! We're trapped!"_

Reed ducked & weaved with the Queen as if in a boxing match. But the Queen tackled him to the ground. He swung on top of it, beating away, but it seemed to do no good. He was easily swatted away by its tail toward Ben and Sue. As he hit the ground, he heard the sound of metal breaking followed by a large red object flying through the air. It collided with the Queen, flipping it over and off of Reed. He stood up and got a look at the red suit of armor, now wrestling with the Queen.

"_Tony!"_

Iron Man backed away from the creature toward Reed & responded, quite out of breath.

"_What can I say? I love this armor."_

Roberta's voice came over the monitor once again.

"_There are thirty seconds remaining until security shutdown." _

As the Queen struggled to its feet, it crashed its tail into a large set of barrels, which ruptured and began leaking fluid along the ground and all over the tool bench and the switchboard next to it, used for manipulating heavy machinery. He covered the Queen in webbing to keep it down, even as it struggled. Reed spoke.

"_That fuel is extremely volatile! When the power comes back on that switchboard will light up and we'll be blown to bits! Tony, can you fly?!"_

"_No! I used up the last of my power to get up here!"_

He looked Reed hard in the face. He saw nothing but shock and sadness. A tear fell from his eye as he embraced his family. Sue started to cry with him as she returned the sentiment. Ben did the same. He realized the situation, and wrapped his arms around the friends he had known for so long. Even Tony joined in. Reed's daughter Valeria spoke.

"_Are we gonna be okay?"_

Reed's son Franklin responded.

"_Yeah. We're gonna be fine."_

The sounds of the Xenomorphs struggling faded away as the lights turned back on, followed by a spark of electricity, and a deafening _BOOM_! He felt a strange tingling sensation as he felt the heat and was engulfed in the flames.

_(NOTE: See NOTE above)_


	17. The Hunt & the Hunters

**Chapter Seventeen**

**The Hunt & the Hunters**

Captain's log. Stargate: three a.m. As of yet we've been… unsuccessful in locating the… enemies' base. Firing photon torpedoes!

Damn. Even in his head, he did a bad William Shatner. Haha. SHATner. He was flying a helicopter around the city, looking for those Xeno-whatzit eggs. Few things really surprised him these days… but Nick Fury letting he, Deadpool, the Merc with the Mouth, the guy who guarantees to break stuff in thirty minutes or less, take a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicopter was definitely up there. Haha. 'Get to the chopper!' Wow, he did a bad Schwarzenegger too.

He really wasn't up for any productive work, so he decided on killing baby monsters with Venom & that Hunter guy. He noticed a storm coming in over the city before they took off from the S.H.I.E.L.D. building. He liked killing stuff in the rain. It was all epic, like that final battle in "The Matrix: Revolutions." He would probably watch that when he got home. Right now he was just kind of flying around aimlessly, using the chopper's searchlights to see where he was going. Venom & that guy were in the back scanning or something trying to find the eggs.

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His scanners had revealed nothing so far. They had been using this helicopter for some time now, and yet they had found no egg clusters yet. Even Venom's psychic ability to locate the eggs had bore no results. Before they had taken off, he had secured all of his weapons, ensuring their usefulness. He had been offered one of the red suits the soldiers wore, but refused. It would be an insult to be found wearing armor not his own. Regardless, he was more than well-equipped to stop this plague.

He was forced to steady himself when the vehicle tilted back and forth. He stared at the strange red one that had chosen to accompany them. Deadpool, they called him. He was not a warrior, but rather a fool with weapons. The only purpose he had served so far had been piloting the vehicle. And he hadn't even done that efficiently. He envied Venom for his ability to traverse swing lines.

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It was good to be back in the air, scouring the city for signs of a Xenomorph nests. While they had been in contact with the one from earlier, they had acquired a kind of psychic connection with them. It worked similarly to the spider-sense they had inherited from Parker. The creatures were more sophisticated than he had thought; communicating through a mix of sound and telepathy. Yet another thing they had above Spider-Man. Chocked up next to his night-vision, which was also useful for tracking prey at this early hour. They swung high and low, savoring the refreshing feel of the wind as it flew by, while also staying close to the helicopter. A chore with that psychotic worm Deadpool at the controls. They could taste the temperature of the air drop as they swung. They had noticed the storm clouds earlier, which had now covered the city. It would rain any minute now.

Hunter, as he apparently preferred to be called, was using some kind of tracking system to locate their foes. They had been trying to remember any information on Hunter's race of 'Predators' as they were apparently codenamed by that hack Fury and his pathetic outfit. They couldn't recall anything other than what he had already learned. Strong, honorable, fierce, clever warriors searching for the greatest kill. Since being on this planet, that was definitely something they could get into…

They looked up as the chopper above them veered a hard right. They quickly spun a line and swung with it just as their spider-sense went off. No. Not the spider-sense. They quickly looked to their left and below. Two Xenomorphs disappeared down a manhole. They fired a small web to mark the spot before shooting a line up to the helicopter. They climbed up it and lifted themselves into the chopper to stare at Hunter. They heard an accelerated beeping emit from the device on his arm. He already knew. They directed their attention to the red buffoon flying the chopper.

"_Wilson! Turn us around and take us down!"_

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

At last they had received a signal! And from Venom's sudden appearance, he had sensed it as well. He must have also sensed his disdain for speaking to the simpleton piloting the vehicle. The vehicle once again shifted, flying in the opposite direction and descending. His tracking device began reacting more and more as they flew. Water fell from the dark masses of atmospheric moisture as they descended. He saw the open sewer access tunnel marked with Venom's webbing. The vehicle quickly landed in front of the small opening. Venom approached his marking web and allowed it to reform to his body. He activated his remaining cannon attached to his shoulder. The helicopter quickly ceased function and the red one exited, drawing his blades as he approached. He quickly aimed the cannon at his head. He quickly replaced his blades & raised his hands in innocence.

"_Hey! Touchy, touchy! No need for any head-exploding action."_

He removed his targeting reticle and looked toward Venom, who was already licking his fangs eagerly. An annoying habit by even an Earthling's standards, but one that signaled vigilance and ferocity. Both were useful against their enemy. They both knew what to do. Find the nest, destroy any Xenomorphs, and find more nests. He had placed a tracing unit in the helicopter should they need to return.

He shifted his view from night-vision to infrared and, after seeing nothing waiting below, jumped down into the sewer.

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That Hunter guy really needed to lighten up. As he watched him jump down into the sewer, he muttered under his breath.

"_On Earth we call that 'paranoia'."_

He turned to Venom, watching him crack his neck and arms before speaking.

"_Is he always like this?"_

"_Give him five minutes to try and kill you. If he doesn't, you'll be best friends."_

"_Is that what happened with you?"_

"_Shut up, Wilson."_

He watched Venom jump down through the hole. He felt the rain hit the top of his head as it started to pour. He pulled a pair of night vision goggles from his belt and strapped them over his eyes. Better safe than sightless. He made sure all of his weapons were strapped in and at the ready. What does that even mean? What is "the ready?" Ah, who cares. He jumped in after Venom. He looked around for his two 'partners' as his eyes adjusted to the light. He saw something crawl away from the corner of his vision. He pulled his twin swords from their sheaths on his back. He twirled them in his fingers as he slowly walked toward the position of the movement.

"_Come out, come out, wherever you are…"_

He put his back to the wall as he approached the corner where the thing disappeared.

"_Rock-a-bye-BANG!"_

He quickly stepped out from behind the wall and pointed his swords down the sewer. Nothing. He heard a squeak and pointed his swords downward, to the neck of a rat.

"_Aww…"_

He put his left sword away and picked the rat up. He tickled it's cute little nose and put it in an empty knife sheath on his chest.

"_I'm gonna call you Chester!"_

He suddenly felt something slap down on his shoulder. He reached for his other sword, but was gripped by his chin and pulled to the left. He stared into Venom's ugly, toothy mug as he whisper/screamed at him.

"_Wilson, you idiot! Come on!"_

"_You know, I picked an awesome assassin name for a reason! So everybody doesn't keep calling me Wade, Wilson, and Wadey-poo!"_

Oops. Venom stared at him.

"_Uh…LONG story."_

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Was there no end to his stupidity? They led Wilson back down the way he had come below the manhole. Hunter had located a nest at the next intersection. They stood just behind Hunter, peering into the nest. They heard Wilson come up behind them quietly, despite his nature. The eggs were laid out in front of them. There were no drones or anything to protect them, it seemed. They were more than ready. But why was Hunter waiting?

"_Why don't we attack?"_

Hunter only held up a single clawed finger in silent response. They activated their camouflage, blending into the dark sewer wall. Another useful skill. Hunter held up his hand once again. They heard something coming from the tunnel across from them. Quick footsteps. They peered once again at the nest. From the tunnel across from them came four Xenomorphs. Two were drones. The third was larger, and tinted red; a marauder. And the fourth was easily the ugliest. Four arms on its back, each clutching an egg. It was skinnier than the others; a carrier. A transporter for the eggs.

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Exactly what he had been waiting for. The dryness of the Xenomorph slime on the walls and eggs indicated that this nest had been active for an extended period of time. And many of the eggs were open and shriveled. Their victims, living and deceased, clung to the slime. It would only have been a matter of time before a carrier would return to replenish the eggs. He had been expecting an escort as well.

He clenched his upheld fist, signaling an assault. He roared and extended his blades as he leaped toward the red creature. Its tail caught him in the side and caused him to crash down on two eggs, crushing them and the face-huggers inside. He removed a small tracking disc from his belt as he stood up, brandishing his blades with his other hand. The creature leaped toward him this time, but was tackled to the ground by Venom; his camouflage ability leaving him nearly invisible. The carrier had placed its final egg down and was about to leave. It hissed at him as he stepped in front of it to cut off its escape. He grabbed it by the neck and slammed his tracking disc into the armored section of its shoulder. The disc secured itself using small drills. The carrier screeched, wrestled out of his grip, and leaped over his head and down the hallway. Venom was still engaging the marauder, and the other one was using hand-to-hand techniques on the two drones. He once again brandished his blades and leaped toward the marauder, bring them down from above and removing an arm.

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They grabbed the now one-armed marauder and threw it across the space into the two drones Wilson had been fighting. One was killed on impact. Wilson quickly responded.

"_Hey! I wanted to kill that one! Oh well."_

Wilson quickly drew his automatic weapon and put several bullets into the other. He placed it back in its holster and turned his head toward them.

"_Eh, not so tough."_

The marauder's tail came from behind and speared Wilson to the ceiling through the chest. He yelled in pain before the Xenomorph pulled him down and tackled him down a tunnel. They followed the assault and saw Wilson flip the creature over and pin his automatic under the beast's chin and pulling the trigger. Its acidic brains spilled over the dark concrete, burning it.

They pulled Wilson to his feet.

"_Yeah, I'm good, thanks."_

He felt the empty knife sheath on his chest. He looked down, slightly alarmed, he searched himself all over before looking down at the marauder. In its dead grasp was a dead rat.

"_Oh, damn it. Chester!"_

Wilson looked back at all the eggs and pulled his twin automatics out once again, firing away at the eggs.

"_You killed Chester! You bastards! And you didn't even actually do it, you did it by extension you slimy bastards!"_

Wilson poured bullet after bullet into each eggs, making sure it was dead. Hunter roared at the moron, as if to gain his attention.

"_We have work to do!"_

He chuckled to himself to see Wilson nearly wet himself.

"_Okay, I guess it was just a rat. Come to think of it, I didn't really like Chester anyway. Never went on walks, never snuggled up to my bed, and never did any tricks. Well, except for playing dead. Ha ha!"_

Hunter finally grabbed Wilson by the collar and lifted him off his feet.

"_Silence!"_

"_Hey, just trying to lift the mood. Was that your plan too? Great minds…"_

Hunter threw Wilson to the ground into the heap of dead Xenomorphs in disgust before speaking to them.

"_We must split up. I will pursue the carrier"_

"_Why did you let it escape in the first place?"_

He produced a small disc from his belt. A small light was flashing on it. He opened the tracking device on his wrist which showed a signal being produced from the device. A tracking beacon. He must have pinned one to the carrier. He spoke again.

"_It will lead me to the source of the eggs."_

"_Excellent. Let's go."_

He held up a hand in refusal. He once again showed them the tracking screen on his arm. He moved the display up from their position, following a tunnel. According to the device, another nest wasn't too far away. He pointed down the tunnel. Obviously he wanted them to destroy that nest. They were happy to oblige. They nodded their head and licked their teeth. Hunter approached Deadpool next.

"_You will remain here."_

"_Why do I get the boring job?"_

Hunter roared & lifted Wilson up by his neck once more.

"_Because YOU are not a warrior! You are useless, incessant buffoon with weaponry. And the only reason I do not vaporize you now, is because it would only waste my time and energy. Neither of which you deserve."_

Hunter dropped Wilson on his ass before setting off down the tunnel to follow the carrier. They cracked their neck and laughed heartily before running down their own tunnel, leaving Wilson to wallow in his stupidity. They held in their laughter as they moved down the tunnel, hoping not to alert the Xenomorphs of his presence. They knew one day Wilson would meet his end because of his mouth. He continued to chuckle to himself as he traveled down the tunnel.


	18. Stalkers' Revelations

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Stalkers**'** Revelations

He lifted himself up from the muck. Man. That guy had some issues. Well, he had issues too. After being mutilated by Weapon X, losing his first girlfriend, watching the lobotomy of his only friend in a modern-day death camp, having to live with a horribly scarred face, and still being called an outcast, it would seem only natural for a person to shoot off a big mouth to compensate for fearing the horrors lurking in their own mind. He walked to the other side of the junction, away from the aliens, and resigned himself to sitting against the cold stone wall. He decided he'd just have to wait for Venom to come back. He suddenly had an epiphany and spoke out loud.

"_Wait a minute, what?! I thought there wouldn't be anymore emotional touchy-feely crap in this story! Whoever's writing this crap is such a liar. And since when do I… what does that say… 'resign myself to sitting against a wall' and 'decide to wait'? I'm Deadpool! I don't let writers push me around!"_

With a gleeful whoop he pulled both swords from their sheaths on his back, whirling them around in his hands.

"_You're damn right I did."_

With another excited whoop, he charged down the tunnel after Venom.

* * *

Damn! These things just don't stop! They didn't mind though. They always enjoyed raw combat. Another Xenomorph's spine shattered against their knee. They licked their lips as another leaped at them. They dodged and grabbed it by its tail, swinging it around at its comrades like a screaming, otherworldly ball-and-chain. After knocking the others into the slime below, they jerked it to the ground and smashed its head in, careful to avoid the sting of the blood. They pulled a pipe from the wall and maliciously beat another downed creature until both the pipe and the beast were twisted, dent and bloody. Oh, the satisfaction.

The marauder they had knocked unconscious finally shook itself awake and extended its tail toward them. They once again side-stepped, letting it crash into a wall. They thoroughly webbed it to the wall before lashing out at its owner. Punching and jabbing left and right, knowing that any kind of slashing would shed the acidic blood. One of its claws made contact with their chest. The wound healed quickly, but they took the arm anyway. Finally when it tried to rush them with the acid-gushing side of its body, they leaped into the air and stuck to the ceiling. The marauder collapsed into the muck allowing them to grip its head, and tear a sharp piece of its armored skin off, and stab it through the head with it, ending its life instantly.

They looked around. All of the eggs had been destroyed during the battle. They looked up in time to see a survivor climbing the ladder up to the street. They leaped over halfway up the ladder and fervently climbed up to their prey. None would escape their judgment; not in their city. As they reached the surface they caught the end of the injured monster's tail with a tendril. It could not escape their night-vision. They reeled it toward themself as they stood on the pavement. It kicked with injured legs; apparently shattered when he swung its comrade around. Their creative mind always looking for colorful alternatives to simply punching something to death, they picked up the manhole cover. The Xenomorph was helpless beneath them; tail held down by webbing, legs destroyed, & arms beneath them. They slammed the edge of the steel circle down on its skull. Until finally they heard a satisfyingly chilling crack. They left the manhole cover indented into its frame, panting from the rigorous fight. The rain, which had noticeably lightened since they had entered the sewer, diluted and spread the blood across the pavement, raising steam. They stepped back to avoid it. The infamous New York weather was as unpredictable as a dice roll. It was only when they looked to the sky in victory that they noticed a large light source.

They looked to their left down the street. In the distance stood a flaming building. It looked as if the top floors had simple been blown off. He had thought all the civilians had left the city. Fire engulfed the jagged edges of the floors below. They fired a web line and pulled themselves up to a rooftop for a better view. There was something familiar about that building. The placement in the center of the city… the size…odd shape…color… the Baxter Building! Where the Fantastic Four kept residence. It was slightly amusing to them to see the home of the Fantastic Fools burn. But something troubling was eating away at their thoughts. They remembered Fury's speech. Parker had been sent to the Baxter Building! But that had been hours ago.

The rain had died, and a sudden gust of chilling wind flew toward them, as if sent directly from the flaming tower. They caught the familiar scent of their prey on the wind. Parker! They looked around, tuning themselves in to their surroundings to locate the source of the scent. Another gust blew past and caused them to look up. A piece of blackened fabric fluttered on the wind. They quickly used a tendril to retrieve it and brought it to their face, sniffing furiously. It was Parker's scent, but… it couldn't be. They turned the fabric over in their claws. Noticing that the darkness was only a burn mark. They wiped away what soot they could and looked at the color beneath it: the familiar red and dark lining of Parker's suit. They looked again at the burning building, then down again at the tattered piece of suit in their hands. A raindrop fell down on it as the rain began slowly again. Parker must have… no he couldn't have… it wasn't possible! The thought of death invaded their mind. Their collective mind could almost not comprehend the possibility that Peter Parker; Spider-Man; the being whose slow and painful death had been the goal of their existence, was dead. They tossed the tattered rag aside and backed away from it, as if it were the soul cause. They began speaking to themself.

"_No. No it's not possible."_

They grasped their head as the truth began sinking in. The rain had begun coming down hard again.

"_No…no… no, no, NOOOOOO!"_

They gave off a horrible shriek into the sky, cursing whatever god or gods existed above. Damning Fate and cursing whatever force created irony in the universe. But their cries were drowned out by a rumble of thunder above in the dark clouds.

"_All these years we have pursued him… tortured him… ALLIED with him…"_

They destroyed an air-conditioning unit behind them as they swung their arms in anger.

"_WE SHOULD HAVE DESTROYED HIM!!"_

They began tearing into the circuits and materials in the air-conditioner, rending it piece by piece amid sparks and raindrops. The machine had been stripped down to the bottom, its mechanical guts lying across the rooftop, when they finally stopped. They panted as their anger began to subside and… disappointment? No… sadness… swept over them.

"…_but now it is too late…"_

They fell to their knees in front of the machine. They stared inside its hollow metal corpse. Empty. A mirror image of what their life would now be. They had resigned their lives' work to one day killing Spider-Man. All in the name of their revenge. But now there was nothing for them. They had taken to heroics and decent deeds in the past, even thinking Parker's death before. But something was different this time. Something foreboding, yet final. They thought about the last time they saw him and imagined his slow death. It was when he had left to go to the Baxter Building in search of a weapon with which to combat the Xenomorphs. The Xenomorphs. Those creatures. Those beasts. Those interstellar BASTARDS! They suddenly rose to their feet in realization. It was their fault! The Xenomorphs had forced Parker into that building, and in any probability had caused his death directly! It was their fault! They had taken away their only goal in life! A lifetime of revenge was now wasted and empty…no. Not wasted, renewed! Swinging around this city chasing Spider-Man had become so boring; no excitement or danger ever troubled them. But now… now they had a much more dangerous enemy to pursue in the name of revenge. The Xenomorphs. A scourge on the universe in their own right. Primitive creatures bent only on the survival of their race and the death of all others. But no longer. No longer would they go on fearing nothing. No longer would they freely terrorize the universe; known and unknown. Now, they would give them something to fear. They would punish them for stripping them of their vengeance… the very vengeance their union was based upon! They would hunt down every Xenomorph in the universe and destroy it. They will feel the wrath of Venom! They looked up to the sky.

"_You will ALL feel the wrath of Venom."_

He could hear screeching coming from the sewer they had left below.

"_But first things first."_

They licked their jaws fervently. They would all be punished. Every Xenomorph that existed among the stars. They leaped up to the edge of the building. But for now, the screeching denizens that had taken hold of New York City would slake their bloodlust. They looked back and used a tendril to once again obtain the shred of Parker's costume. They absorbed it into themselves. A reminder of their purpose from this point on. They fired a web line to either side of the open manhole and leaped into the air. At the height of their jump, they jerked on the lines and flung themselves down the hole into the darkness. Their mad cackling echoed around them as they descended.

* * *

He had been using his adaptive camouflage thus far. His tracer had done its job well, allowing him to follow the carrier through the network of tunnels beneath the now-barren metropolis. He kept his distance, though. He stayed far enough behind that the carrier had not noticed when he destroyed two nests it had led him to. He could only hope Venom was doing just as well. According to his time-piece set to the measurement of the planet, it was 3:45. They had left the meeting at approximately 2:00. The last to do so.

He followed the tracking signal down another tunnel to his left. The atmospheric disturbance was dropping heavy rain, which drained directly into the tunnels and causing the liquid level to rise substantially. Fortunately it hadn't overtaken the walkways he was using to avoid shorting out his camouflage in the muck. He watched his tracking screen and noticed that he was upon another nest past the next turn. He closed the screen on his wrist to keep it from harm. He peered around the corner and saw two marauders watching over the eggs. They were looking in the direction the carrier had gone rather than at him. Good. This would be quick and easy.

He pulled his bladed disc from his belt with the intention to throw it, but stopped. He had completely forgotten! How could he have been so absent-minded? Annoyed at himself, he removed his small container of fluid from a bag on his belt. He shook it, causing it to glow slightly, and used the lever on the tip to spray the substance over his disc. It was a special substance he had concocted himself. Normally if an experienced warrior were going after Xenomorphs, they would have their weapons treated with the substance before departing. But he had left in a hurry and simply grabbed the bottle. It was a mix of the Xenomorph blood with their own blood and a few other chemicals. He designed it to make a surface resistant to the toxic reptiles' blood. It had worked thus far. He finished the application and placed the bottle back in his bag.

He held the disc tightly and whirled around the corner, letting it fly straight and true through one of the marauders' backs. It flew down the tunnel but immediately began its programmed return as the second marauder turned and took notice of him. He held his spear flat before him and under the marauder's neck, forcing it back and into the discs deadly path. He extended a hand and caught the deadly disc, allowing the toxic blood to trickle off harmlessly as the beheaded beast sank into the water. He strapped the disc back onto his belt and began crushing, slicing, and stabbing the eggs with his spear. Their spears were designed initially to withstand the blood. One of the eggs in the far corner began opening up. He froze as he saw the squirming legs of the monster emerge before it leaped through the air to attack. He reacted quickly and hurled the spear, skewering the creature to the wall where it died quickly and harmlessly. He immediately extended his wrist blades and pulled the bottle once again, spraying them down as more eggs opened. He kicked one to his immediate left, squashing it, and disemboweled one to this right. With the bottle once again in it's bag, he pulled his whip from it's belt loop and destroyed several eggs with a flick of his wrist. Another face-hugger had managed to escape its leathery egg and jumped toward him. Another flick of his wrist sent the creature to the ground. Half on either side of him. He tore the last egg apart and retracted his wrist blades. Quick and easy.

He flipped open his view screen once more and immediately noticed a signal coming from above! He looked up just in time to view two Xenomorphs crawl down from the ceiling on top of him. They grabbed at his armor, apparently trying to tear it off. The impact along with the attack was shorting out the camouflage. They scratched his sides and screeched in his face. His fist connected with one's jaw, sending it off. He pulled his traditional knife from its sheath on his side and stabbed the second east in its forehead before kicking it off. He removed his knife from the dead one's head and climbed on top of the other one. He stabbed it in the chest with his knife before its tail wrapped around his waist and flung him into the opposite wall. He rose to its feet. He stood as well and watched his foe closely, as it stood there, waiting to attack. He noticed its tail extend further and further away from its body. And instant before it struck he threw his knife at the tip of its tail and pinned it to the wall. The creature turned and looked at its trapped limb. He charged up to it and grabbed it by the neck, slamming it into the stone wall. He held it at arms length as its disgusting tongue/mouth attempted to bite him. He extended his wrist blades on his other hand and stabbed it up through its jaw, skewering its tough as well as its brain.

He let it go and retracted the blades, unhurt by the acid. It slunk into the water and he removed his knife from its tail, replacing t in the sheath. Like he had thought; quick and easy. He walked over to his spear and removed it from the wall and allowing the face-hugger to fall into the water. Retrieved his whip from where it had fallen and looped it back into his belt. He checked his equipment, making sure everything was accounted for. His view screen had closed when he was tackled. He checked it. No scratches or cracks, but the water had made it a bit skittish; bits of interference crisscrossing the screen every now and then. Not a big problem, but one that he wouldn't like to make worse. He checked the tracer signal and took off down the tunnel to follow it.


	19. United At Last

CHAPTER NINETEEN

United At Last

He was still sitting at HQ. He paced back and force, chewing another cigar between his teeth. This was the one part of being an officer he really hated: the constant waiting. He had dismissed Vision and Dr. Pym first. Nothing at Avengers Mansion would do any good, and he couldn't use them here, so he sent them to help with the evacuation. Everyone who didn't get over the Queensboro bridge was moving further North. He had gotten a call from the Black Widow almost an hour ago to check in and let him know the bridge had been blown. It was a damn good thing he had gotten a call to the Submariner. He hate having to rely on outside variables, but with these damn things swimming as well as they could, he didn't think divers or subs could do the trick. Wolverine had made it safely out of the city.

Apparently Blade, White Tiger, Iron Fist, and Ms. Marvel were having no problems. He finally got a hold of Dr. Strange after the meeting broke and sent him over to Jersey. Apparently he was doing a good job. Castle and War Machine had called in when they entered the meat-packing district a few minutes ago, but he wasn't worried about them. Between the two of them and the squad he sent with them, they had enough firepower to blow the whole district off the map. Although he hoped it wouldn't come to that. The one thing that had him worried was Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Fantastic Four. They hadn't received a signal from them since they entered the Baxter Building. And now he was getting reports of fire and smoke coming from there. He hoped they were alright. But they needed something to stop these slugs from spreading! He had already had the S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite send a signal to the Shi'ar Empire in deep space to see if they knew how to handle these things. They hadn't gotten a response. They were in good status with Queen Lilandra last time they met, but who knew what could have happened since then.

He suddenly got a call over the headset. Another problem to worry about.

"_Colonel Fury here. Go ahead."_

"_Colonel you said you wanted information on any city operations. The storm is coming down hard, & the operators at the Department of Water & Sewer want to close the sewer doors to avoid major flooding of the tunnels & streets. Is that alright, Colonel?"_

Of course! He had almost forgotten about the men in the sewer. He had sent Venom, the Predator, and Wilson down to destroy any eggs they could find.

"_Good job reporting this, soldier. We have men in the sewers. Go ahead. And keep me updated if any complications occur."_

"_Yes, Sir! Over and out."_

"_Over and out."_

He honestly didn't give a damn about Wilson. And if Venom were gone, that'd be one less prisoner for the Vault. But he didn't know how the Predators would handle another one of their own dying here. And he wasn't comfortable with the unknown.

* * *

"…_shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, balls!"_

He was running from a great big horde of those Xeno-thingies. He never found Venom, but he did find a nest and started stomping eggs. But as soon as he got started, he was surrounded! He definitely should have brought more guns. He was barely keeping up ahead of them, and to top it off the crap was almost hitting the fan (if sewers had fans) as in the water was rising pretty high now. He was coming up on a two-way turn. Maybe he could lose them with a flash-bang grenade? He could practically feel them screeching down his neck. Why not? He pulled one from his belt and pulled the pin, holding down the trigger. He finally reached the corner. He threw the flash-bang back at them and took off down the tunnel to the left. He heard the blast and saw shards of the light. He slowed down and looked back… until the whole load of them followed him down the corridor.

"_Crap." _

He started running again. Apparently these things didn't have eyes to blind. He saw what looked like a door or hatch or something ahead. At least there'd be something between him and them. The door began closing from the outside, so he quickened his pace. Only ten feet away now. Might as well have some fun. He turned around and ran backwards, firing his custom semi-automatic 22 into the tidal wave of monsters following him. He was having so much fun, he tripped and fell backwards over the frame of the door and fell through the portal. Tails and other limbs were trying to get through the small opening as the door closed. He pushed the door to make it close faster. The monsters retracted their limbs as the heavy steel door sealed shut. He feigned wiping sweat from his masked forehead and sighed with relief. He patted the hatch.

"_Good boy. Good door."_

He cooed at the inanimate object until he heard a loud clang and saw a large dent appear from the other side of the door. He jumped back in surprise and shook his finger.

"_No! Bad door!"_

He pondered for a moment as more sounds were heard on the other side of the door. He pulled several grenades from his belt and tied them to the door. He didn't see a handle or anything to tie them to in case they opened the it for a tripwire. He stared at the three grenades on the door dimly.

"_Hey, why didn't I just throw one of THESE at them back there?"_

He knocked on his head in stupidity.

"_Oh well. Guess I'll have to do the ol' breadcrumb trick."_

The tunnel he was in now extended for about ten feet until it reached a junction. He turned to the left wall and began sticking grenades to the wall with tape, threading a string to each of the triggers, including the ones on the door. He moved down the tunnel slowly, placing grenades every few feet. He began humming to himself and remembered the dwarf song from "Snow White."

"_High-ho, high-ho, it's off to kill we go… dun dun du-du dun dun dun dun dun…high-ho, high-ho_, _high-ho, high-ho, High-ho, these bombs are gonna blow…"_

He continued the rest in a whistle until he saw something move next to him. He turned to see that carrier thing with all the arms that Hunter was supposed to be following. It darted down a passageway to his left and behind him. He quickly tied the string around a metal pipe at his feet. It was only then that he noticed the water level here was much lower than through that door. He looked back to see water spraying in little streams from the side of the door, as if it was about to give-way. He disregarded the sight and followed the carrier down the tunnel.

There was a steal grate at the end of the tunnel that hung open. He moved up along the side of it and peered through. There was a huge pit-thing, like an old reservoir. The water down there was only about shin-height. But there was a huge crowd of aliens down there, including the one he had followed. They were huddling around one big one. And there was a huge, ugly sac on it's ass. Eggs were plopping out every now and then. If he had actually eaten anything since three-o-clock yesterday, he would probably have spewed it all over the place in great big chunks by now. Actually, it would have just clogged up in his mask and he would have choked on his own vomit. That would've sucked. Anyway, there was a long bridge extending his hole to another across the room. And there was another one on the next level up. He pulled a pair of his extended-clipped Uzi's and cocked them; ready for action. But how was he going to get down there without having to put himself back together? It was about forty feet down. Hmm. He looked around the room and finally found something. A big pipe set against the concrete wall curved its way down like a groove on a screw until it hit the bottom where water was flowing heavily. He stepped out onto the bridge with a big grin under his mask and holding the Uzi's up beside his face.

"_Any of you guys heard the expression 'eat lead'?"_

All of the aliens immediately turned to look up at him, hissing and screeching in reply.

"_Oh you have? Good. Cuz I've got a feast here fit for a Queen…thing. Who wants _

_snacks?!"_

He leaped down on to the curving pipe and slid down it toward the ground, firing away at the monsters as he went.

"_You do! You do!"_

He was only a minute or so away from the bottom, and most of them were waiting for him there. He placed both guns back in their holsters and pulled his right sword, holding with both hands like a samurai. He leaped off the side of the pipe, sword-raised high. Suckers.

"_BANZAI!!"_

He came down and slashed one's head in two. He made a broad left slash at one coming from his right. He dropped to his left hand and spun low, sweeping the sword & cutting another one in half below the waist. he quickly did a backward handspring onto the shoulders of the one behind him. He broke it's neck quickly and fell backwards, stamping his hands to the ground and used his legs to fling the creature backwards over him. He heard more shrieks as it collided with three others.

"_Lucky strike!"_

He stood up once again, his back to the wall and only about eight aliens left. He chuckled and spun his sword around himself in the most awesome way he could before holding it out flat in front of him. His confidence, along with his smirk, disappeared as he looked at his sword. It was melted down to the handle by the aliens' acid blood. He had completely forgotten about that, and began weeping for his weapon.

"_No! That was my favorite sword!"_

He quickly looked to his second one strapped over his left shoulder.

"_No offense, Lefty."_

The big Queen roared at him. He chucked what was left of his sword at it. He began backing away as the monsters slowly advanced, searching himself for a grenade. But soon he realized he had used all of them on that door upstairs. Damn it. He pulled his Uzi's out, realizing he was running low on ammo. He was about to fire at the closest one, when suddenly a glowing blue bolt of energy came down from above and blew the thing to burnt, cauterized pieces. He looked up above him.

"_God?"_

He saw another blue bolt fly down and traced its source. Hunter! He honestly never thought he'd be glad to see him. He was above him on the bridge he had come down on. He fired another round of blue and incinerated a third monster.

* * *

At last! The source of the eggs. Apparently that moron had disobeyed him. He noticed several dead Xenomorphs around the chamber. More than half. Perhaps this human was a decent warrior after all.

"_Hey! feel free to drop in any time!"_

He came out of his thought and ran at full speed down the bridge, leaping over the protective railing and down into the pit. He landed on the Queen's back, just as he had planned. He quickly aimed his plasma caster cannon toward the Queen's head, knowing that any other area would merely wound it. He heard the weapon heating up to fire, but felt a heavy smash in his side. He flew across the room, the plasma bolt firing harmlessly downward. He hit the large pipe next to Deadpool, who swiftly tried to help him up.

"_Ride'em cowboy."_

He pushed the fool away and stood up on his own. His old bones creaking as he did. The water had softened his fall. It was now reaching up to his shins, and Deadpool's knees. He looked over at his ruined plasma caster and tore it off. He extended his wrist blades to maximum length; double of what he had used thus far. Not wanting to take any chances, he pulled the bottle of protectant from its bag once more and sprayed down his blades. He noticed that the bottle was almost empty. Only enough for one more weapon. He noticed Deadpool was staring at the bottle. He pointed to a puddle of Xenomorph blood floating in the water. He then knocked on his blades to signal strength. It was better to have a questionably-useful ally than a useless one. he threw the bottle to Deadpool, who quickly pulled his remaining sword from it's and sprayed it down, exhausting the bottle. He then threw the glass bottle into the air and sliced it in half.

"_Oh yeah, it is GO time now, baby!"_

He spoke to the red-clad warrior.

"_I will take the Queen. You will fight the drones."_

"_Can-do!"_

He charged through the drones with Deadpool at his back. He cut one's torso off to face the Queen. He knew even his elongated blades could not match the Queen quickly-enough, so he used his bladed hand to pull his whip, and his other to hold out his disc. At least it was restrained by its egg sac. The Queen reached out to claw him, but he dodged. Its tail came down from above to spear him, but he was able to roll left and avoid it. Unfortunately his camouflage armor could not work in the water. The tail raised up from the water, and he was able to lashed his whip around it, pulling him to his feet. The razor edges of the whip caused the tail to bleed. He threw his disc at the tail, cleaving it in-two. The tail, along with his whip, sank into the rising water.

The Queen screeched in pain & waved the acid-spewing limb in the air. He rolled into her; out of range of the acid, but within reach of her claws. She grabbed him around the waist and lifted him up. He could see behind her where his disc had stuck into the wall. He realized the Queen was pulling him in to her inner-mouth, and fired one of his wrist blades into it. Another screech, but she did not drop him. He extended his last wrist blade and sliced off the hand that held him. He began to focus his mind on the disc. He moved to the right where he could see it, at the same time trying to avoid the Queen's attacks, and the newly-bleeding limb. He needed time! He couldn't focus while being pursued like this! Suddenly from the other side of the Queen, he heard the sound of Deadpool's automatic weapon. The Queen turned her attention away from him. Perhaps that fool was worth something after all. He was able to focus harder on the disc. He saw it twitch in the wall, trying to escape. Finally it broke free of it's mineral prison and flew to his hand. Members of his race who had fought long enough; become masters of their mind, body, and weaponry, could focus their thoughts into the mask and translate them into electrical signals.

He turned on the spot and threw his disc at the Queen as it chased Deadpool around the room. The disc narrowly missed the Queen's head and cut through the large bones on its back, once again securing into the wall. But that deter its pursuit of Deadpool. He was still firing back at her, but his weapons were not strong enough to kill her. He heard a familiar _thwip_ sound followed by an angry roar above him. He saw Venom swing over him and onto the Queen's large head, savagely beating at her. He could not reach his disc from this distance. The water was now high enough for him to swim to his target. The Queen knocked Venom away and was attempting to catch Deadpool. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Venom jump up to the bridge and web two dead drones like a ball and chain. He looked back just in time to see the Queen fling Deadpool across the room toward him. He ducked, and time seemed to slow down. He saw Deadpool drop his sword down to him.

"_All yours!"_

He caught the blade in his hands as Deadpool slammed hard into the wall behind him. It was a weapon he was not used to. A firm grip & a long, broad, sharp, blood-resistant blade. Exactly what he needed. Venom threw the two Xenomorphs at the Queen using a web-sling. The first connected, but the second glanced off. The Queen shook herself to her senses and began running toward him. He felt a pull from his back as he was lifted up to the bridge by Venom's webs.

"_We'll take the bitch."_

Venom licked their jaws in anticipation. He held up his hand in refusal and replied in the much-easier Symbiote language.

"_It is my duty."_

Venom stared back.

"_Fine. As long as you never speak to us in that tongue again. And from now on, it is OUR duty as well."_

He nodded his head in agreement. The bridge shook beneath them and came down from his end. The Queen had torn it down, trying to get at them. Venom jumped up and swung in a wide circle to kick to the beast in the side, sending her a few feet away and stunning her. Now was the time. He ran up the now-angled bridge, holding Deadpool's blade firmly in his hands, and once-again leaped off the side. As he fell, the Queen looked up toward him. The monster's head was cleaved neatly in half by the blade, slowly spreading open as the corpse fell to the water. The same water which had eased his fall. He surfaced, the water now over his head. As he floated, he saw Venom helping Deadpool into a tunnel suspended just a few feet above him. He swam over as quickly as possible. He looked up, seeing Deadpool's extended hand.

"_I'll give you a hand, as long as you don't take it off."_

That settled it. He accepted the hand and raised himself into the tunnel. He raised Deadpool's sword over his head, making its owner cower and wince beneath him. He turned the blade over in his hand, offering the grip to the warrior. He stood up and accepted it, sliding it back into the sheath. Deadpool once again extended his hand, as Venom had. He slowly reached out and shook it. He had decided to let Deadpool live. Any warrior who could kill Xenomorphs as efficiently as he had was worthy in his mind. They made their way over to Venom, who was coming back from scouting down the tunnel.

"_There is a way out. An opening at the end of this tunnel that leads to the river."_

The water was rising quickly, and he saw no other way. He began walking briskly before Venom stopped him.

"_What about the eggs? They will survive & escape in the water!"_

He looked back at the egg sac floating on the water. Venom was right. The egg sac would disintegrate, and the face-huggers would swim until they found a host. But if anyone was going back, it would be him. It was his fault that this mess had started, and it was his responsibility to finish it. He turned back to the water and was about to dive back in, when he heard a loud screech from the tunnel he had come through above. But not a Xenomorph screech. It sounded like metal bending and giving way. He heard a metallic _thunk_ followed by a series of explosions. Water began flowing in a great torrent from the tunnel as he turned to run. He heard his fellow warriors follow him. Once again, he heard Deadpool's voice.

"_My bad!"_

He heard the roar of the water making its way down their tunnel. Deadpool's annoying voice once again invaded his ears.

"_Surf's up!"_

He saw the opening! A grate hung lazily open on the left side. He felt the water take up his legs, and heard Deadpool whooping in what sounded like excitement. Idiot. He quickly grabbed the grate as the water that carried his went by. He saw Venom fire a web and cling to it as he slid out of the tunnel, Deadpool under his arm.

"_I take back what I said."_

Deadpool looked at him questioningly. As did Venom.

"_Vaporizing you would be worth my time and energy."_

Venom laughed tiredly, and Deadpool, catching on to his wordplay, laughed as well.


	20. Dead Meat

CHAPTER TWENTY  
Dead Meat

The back of a S.H.I.E.L.D. armored vehicle, about five a.m. He was looking over a map to the meat-packing district. He'd been through here a dozen times before. Cleaning up the trash, so to speak. Foreign drug-lords and the occasional gang thought it was clever to move shipments of cocaine, among worse things, inside carcasses. He could never stop the source, but he could sure as hell stop the distribution.

The map was barely a help. After living and operating here for the longest time, he had the whole city pretty much memorized. The only reason he had kept the map up for the past few minutes was to survey his surroundings. The platoon he had been issued was the one he had met at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Just like shipping into action in the 'Nam. Fresh-faced kids that don't belong in combat. They were staring at him. Not to his face, but he could feel it through their helmets. One of them spoke up.

"_Sir? We were… well some of us… were wondering how we should address you, Mr. Punisher, sir."_

"_Captain."_

"_Captain Castle?"_

"_JUST Captain."_

The soldier settled down again. He had heard enough of his former last name from the scum he took down.

War Machine had taken his half of the platoon and been busy blowing up meat lockers. He was supposed to take his half straight to Ryker's, but he wasn't about to miss out on killing these things. He felt the vehicle slow down and stop. He opened the side door and stepped out. He made sure his weapon was ready. From what he could tell it had M-60 firepower with sniper accuracy. Firing modes could go from single-shot, three-round burst, to full auto. It was made from heavy-duty plastics aside from the barrel, which was forged from some kind of heat-resistant material, kind of like the suits geologists wear when they go down to volcanoes. Keeps the barrel from melting down. The familiar grenade tube hung under the barrel. He had plenty of ammo and plenty of side-arms, including Blade's TISAS in his left holster.

The other soldiers followed him out of the vehicle. Just like a regular battalion every few guys had a different type of weapon. Three had guns he didn't recognize. Must've been S.H.I.E.L.D. specials like his. Other than that, there were three M-16's, two with Gatling guns, one M-60. May as well have thrown in the partridge in a pair tree. They all cocked their weapons in the beautifully various ways. He looked again at the almost-dilapidated building in front of him. He wasn't about to go in blind. He looked back at the troopers.

"_Schematics."_

From the back came the communications officer. The long-range radio hung on his back, and a computer held tightly in his arms. He came up to him and opened the laptop, typing in a few commands as he went. The whole building was mapped out in 3D. The basic design. No problem. He was ready to go aside from one thing. The soldiers were lined up in front of him.

"_Helmets. Take 'em off, put e'm in the truck."_

They each looked at each other, reluctantly. Kids. One of them stepped forward.

"_Why?"_

He stepped right up to him and looked him in the eyes. He stood even with him.

"_They're useless."_

"_Pardon me, sir, but would you care to elaborate?"_

They didn't have time for this bullshit.

"_Helmets are meant to protect you from enemy fire. These ugly fucks don't fight like soldiers. They don't use guns or knives. And that helmet isn't going to keep them from tearing your fucking head off if they get the chance."_

The soldier didn't flinch as he spoke to him, but he could see the others shuffling nervously out of the corner of his eye.

"_What about friendly fire, sir?"_

He was getting indignant now.

"_That helmet won't save you from a bullet, either. And if any of you are stupid enough to stick your head out into open fire, you deserve to get shot. It's a fucking security blanket. In all my years of service I've never seen a single man saved by their helmet. It's psychological."_

Finally, the soldiers did as they were told and removed their helmets. Just as he thought; some of them were pretty young. The oldest one there was probably in his early thirties. It was the one who had talked back. He addressed him.

"_Name and rank, soldier."_

"_Major Emile Marcus."_

He said his rank snobbishly.

"_And I'm a bit concerned as to why a Captain should be in charge of our outfit."_

Great. The last thing he needed was a self-righteous soldier making things complicated.

"_Have you ever engaged these things, Major?"_

He could tell from the look in his eyes that answer was no.

"_I have. Have you survived two wars?"_

Again, the answer was obvious. He was just putting this little shit in his place.

"_I have. And if you even want to have a prayer of surviving to see noon today, you will follow my orders. This is not about rank. This is about experience. So, Major, if you would kindly shut the fuck up, we can clean this place out."_

Marcus stepped back in line, gripping his S.H.I.E.L.D. Special. He watched his hands as they slid over the weapon, making sure neither of them went for the trigger. After looking into Marcus's eyes one more time, he moved on down the line, checking dog tags for names. The Gatlings belonged Lieutenants Kaufman & Seers. Sergeant Mayfield held the M-60. The M-16's were Privates Mason, Corvich, and Russo. And the other S.H.I.E.L.D. Specials were with Captain Reese, Sergeant Pierce, and Sergeant Clay. All boys. Boys, not men. Not yet. Just like Nam.

After taking one more look at the schematics on Corporal Beeche's laptop, he moved them out. He had Marcus take point. Partly because he had the sharp eyes of a sniper, and partly because he wanted him in sight. He ordered Corporal Beeche to remain in the vehicle. Marcus pushed open the doors, the light on his weapon turning on. He followed. The light on his own S.H.I.E.L.D. Special turned on as he entered. Must be light-sensitive activation. He looked around in the darkness, straining his ears for the slightest sound. The near silenced footsteps of Russo, Seers, & Pierce following him were all he could hear. He motioned for Seers to move ahead of him. When they attacked, he wanted Ol' Painless in front of him. He had ordered the rest to move around the back and enter through the loading dock on the other side. They moved forward slowly, almost soundlessly. He scanned the structure with his light, looking up to the catwalks above. The stink of rotting meat wafted in the cold air. Off in the distance he could hear the faint whistle of the cooling system. Apparently the electricity was still running. He squeezed the microphone in his collar and whispered into it.

"_Russo, lights."_

Russo, who was taking up the rear, searched for the light switch. Marcus called him on it.

"_Why would we give away our position, 'Captain'?"_

This fuck was going to fight him every step of the way.

"_These things don't have eyes to see. Turning on the lights won't make a difference to them."_

The group moved forward again, slightly. According to the schematics, there was a set of stairs to his left.

"_Pierce, stairs. Check out the offices above. Slow and easy."_

He heard Pierce's footsteps pass him by and up the stairs. That left him with Marcus and Seers. They were in the maze of meat grinders and tenderizers. The dull shine from the machines surrounded them as they scanned around with their lights. They still moved forward slowly. He stepped in something and stopped. He looked down into a puddle of goop. It was blue, with a silver tint, but it was almost transparent. He looked up and saw another puddle on the catwalk above. He moved out from under it and looked further up to the ceiling. There, caked in slime, was a human body. He looked around at the ceiling. There must have been dozens. But there was nothing they could do. He refocused his light on Seers and Marcus in front of him. They were both looking up as well. Seers had his mouth wide open in horror. Marcus just stared.

"_Stay alert. We can't help them."_

They quickly returned to an offensive stance, scanning the area. As they moved further into the maze of machines, they noticed the slime had covered almost everything, like a hive. The air was thick with tension, anticipation, and a little bit of fear. They hadn't seen any sign of the others yet. And there were still no lights. He once again squeezed his mic.

"_Russo, where are my lights?"_

The response came back gurgled. Shit.

"_Say again."_

This time he could make out labored breathing, followed by gasping, as if he were drowning. A scream, drowned out by blood.

"_Fuck. Guns up."_

Marcus and Seers, having heard the relay, immediately put their backs to the slime-covered machines and held their weapons ready, fingers tight to barrel and trigger.

"_Pierce, come in."_

His transmission was drowned out by screeching. It seemed to come from all around, echoing through the empty plant. More screeching followed. He squeezed his grip, ready for it. His other hand tight to the grenade barrel. The screeching got louder, followed by growls and grunts.

Suddenly the machines faded out, and the trees faded in. The greenery of north Vietnam. Sounds in the distance. Battle cries from all around. The other soldiers waved their guns in every direction. The darkness shrouded the enemy from their vision. A fear gripped him that hadn't existed for a long time. He didn't panic. He kept his eyes sharp. Something crossed his light. He tried to follow its path through the cover to no avail. The screeching and the yelling filled his ears. Then something emerged from the cover. An enemy soldier, screaming and charging forward, guns blazing. He took aim and fired. Three rounds in the chest, but it kept coming. It leaped at him and tackled him, knocking his gun away. He punched the man-creature before it pulled a knife on him. He wouldn't die here. Not now. Not like this. He stopped the knife at the user's wrist. It screeched at him, squeezing his neck, choking him. He didn't know how much longer he could hold it back. He closed his eyes. But he could still see. His family. His wife and children greeting him, rushing up to meet their daddy. Their beautiful bright eyes and their smiles as they ran through the green grass of the park. Their dead eyes falling to the ground, their smiles wiped away. His wife's bloody torso falling to the grass. His children flying back through the air into the reddened ground. A barrel appeared before his eyes. A flash. A painted skull.

He opened his eyes and stared into the gaping maw of the alien above him. It screeched in his face as he held its tail away. It was choking the life out of him. He moved his other hand to the tail and let it sink into the concrete next to him. He threw another punch into the monster's face and kicked it off of him. He reached for his gun and fired into the creature, silencing it. But the screeching didn't stop. Marcus and Seers were tackled to the ground as well. He fired at the creatures' tails, severing them with a few shots, before blowing the rest of their bodies away. The whole plant lit up with gunfire. The rattles and booms of bullets escaping barrels mixed in with the screeching and growling. They were coming down from the rafters and catwalks. Many landed as corpses, others were harder to kill. Seers's Gatling tore through metal and flesh, spilling acidic blood & machine oil over the floor. He fired again and again, three round a piece. He didn't want to waste any ammo. He saw Marcus run past him toward the exit. He didn't waste any concentration on following him. He took down another creature. The catwalk on the opposite wall was practically alive with the swarming. He held the gun tight to his shoulder and fired a grenade into the mass of aliens. The blast blew a piece of the wall away and fried the creatures. He felt something on his shoulder and quickly turned. Marcus.

"_Going somewhere?"_

"_They blocked our way out. And Russo's…"_

"_I know. Come on, we've got to find the rest."_

He heard a screech come from behind and turned, seeing a monster falling toward them. He didn't have time to focus. He heard a burst of rounds and saw the beast move off-course and crash into one of the machines, sending sparks everywhere. He looked up and saw Pierce taking shots.

"_Captain! Go find the others. I'll cover your backs."_

He turned to Seers and put a hand on his shoulder.

"_You got enough left in that pack to get us outta here?"_

"_Yes sir!"_

"_Alright then. Clear a path to the others. Move!"_

Seers took off down the pathways between machines, belting roars and comments as he went. He followed and heard Marcus follow behind him. He wasn't about to die here. And he wasn't about to let his soldiers die either. They moved and fired furiously, dodging bodies as they went. Just like old times.


	21. Lead Dawn & Iron Deliverance

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE  
Lead Dawn & Iron Deliverance

He finally got his armored hands around the head of the monster and broke it as roughly and painfully as he could. The scientists might call them Xenomorphs, but he called them was they really were. Monsters. No more, no less. The gun smoke cleared slowly around him. His sensors didn't pick up any more aliens. The soldiers around him cheered, fists in the air. Victorious.

"Good job soldiers."

One of them commented.

"Hoo-ah! U.S. War Machines! Relentless and invincible!"

His electronically-altered voice spread among the platoon as he chuckled along with the rest. The two wounded cheered the loudest. Castle was no doubt almost to Ryker's Island by now with his half. He didn't agree with his methods, or trust his sanity. But he was the expert on the prison. So he was bound by protocol to trust him. He may have been wearing the armor, his identity unknown to everyone probably including Fury, but James Rhodes was still a soldier. No matter what identity he was working under.  
He turned back to his men. A good group of soldiers. Not one bent man among them. They worked with precision and efficiency. Two were wounded, but after twenty battles with these monsters, there had to be casualties. He called to his communications officer in one of the vehicles.

"Corporal Onaka. We've got wounded. Are there any medical packs in the vehicles?"

Static was the only response.

"Corporal, do you copy?"

Still static. That wasn't good. They were still inside the meat locker heading out, the wounded being supported.

"Troops, double-time it! We've got a missing Corporal."

The platoon picked up the pace and headed toward the door. He decided to fly forward with the rockets in the suit. He went straight out through the doors. The light from the sun just barely began to look over the steel and concrete horizon. A fog was rolling in; the heat of the rising sun combining with the dampness of the previous stormy night. The vehicles were covered with the beasts. He saw Corporal Onaka's intestines strewn on the ground, some of the creatures feeding on him. He was struck by it and lost focus. Words from the incoming soldiers jarred him.

"War Machine, what's going on?"

He quickly answered.

"No, fall back it's a trap! It's a tr…!"

He was tackled into the wall by one of the aliens, held there. It scratched and punched at his armor before he held its clawed hand back and blasted it in the chest with a repulser blast. It flew backward past its friends and over the trucks. He heard the soldiers reach the doorway and scramble to retreat.

"Fall back! Fall back!"

But he heard screams and gunfire through the wall. There must have been more hiding in the meat plant. But how? He didn't have time to think about it as another monster leaped at him. He batted it aside with his right arm and used the mini-gun mounted on his left shoulder to perforate another, along with one of the vehicles. Another one ran along to his right, and he followed it with gunfire.  
More screaming came from inside. He needed to help them! He raised his right arm and fired a small missile at the creature, blasting it apart. The one he had batted aside rose again, but he pelted it with repulser blasts, tearing it apart. He finally turned back through the doorway and watched as a soldier was killed; impaled by the disgusting rod/tongue in a creature's mouth. He opened up the mini-gun once more and decimated the dozens of Xenomorphs that had appeared from nowhere. He looked to his left and saw another soldier being attacked. He turned and fired another repulser blast throwing it against a wall ten feet away before shredding it with the mini-gun. He bent down to the soldier lying on the ground.

"You okay?"

The soldier coughed and moaned. More screeching drowned him out. He looked out into the open building. All the other soldiers were dead. Either eaten or just mutilated. Then he saw it. A hole in the floor in the middle of the building, apparently dug by the aliens. They were crawling out of it like ants out of an anthill. He picked up the wounded soldier at his side and fired another missile from his right arm, aimed dead-center on the hole.  
He flew out through the door and landed on the other side of the vehicles as the explosion rocked the building. He set the soldier down and looked back over the trucks. The building was smoking, and he heard steel bending and breaking as it fell in upon itself. Without looking down he spoke.

"Soldier, are you okay?"

No response. Not again. He looked down at the man at his feet, leaning up against the tire of the vehicle.

"Soldier!"

He shook him slightly, only to have the man's head fall over away from him, a giant slash severing half his neck and opening his throat to the damp morning air. No. He stood up and saluted the dead man for a moment. He had fought well. As did his platoon. As he opened his eyes from the blind salute he caught sight of a sewer hatch. That was it! They had dug a hole down under the machines into the sewers. That was how they spread so fast, and how they had surrounded them. They had taken out whole warehouses full of them, but who knows if more had just come up through? All their hard work, the work his men died for: worthless. Anger welled up inside him. Anger he hadn't felt in a long time. He rose up into the air on the rockets and released a long, loud, yell into the morning air. Still no sun, but it was almost time.  
He had to follow the sewer lines. Blow up every building within reach of them. It was the only way to be sure. He pulled up the schematics of the sewer system below him and activated the heavy-duty missile launcher on his right shoulder. He fired one of the missiles and devastated a building down below. He moved through the air, following the sewer, and blowing up the buildings as he went. Firing missile after missile, and used his other armaments to make sure the job got done. These things will wish they'd never screwed with a U.S. Marine. Especially one calling himself War Machine.

* * *

Fuck! They were really pinned down. They had all rendezvoused in a small office on the second floor of the packing section of the plant. Sides of beef hung from the ceiling on assembly line chains. The stink was horrible. But at least the cooling unit was working to keep it somewhat fresh. Their suits kept the cold out, but their breaths made ghosts in the air.  
Clay and Mason were dead. Pierce was wounded, and Seers's mini-gun had jammed. So far they had been able to keep the fuckers off them, but their ammo was running low. There was plenty more in the vehicles, but something about the shit covering this whole place was interfering with the mics. They had been using the office window for a firing point. He fired a three-round burst and killed another one as it approached. Corvich and Reese were flanking him, spreading light suppressing fire when needed. But they should have been all over them, swarming them. He couldn't figure it out. Another one fell to his gun. From what he could tell, there weren't many left in the building. They were playing shadow games; avoidance tactics. Why? Marcus was occupied with Pierce's wounds for the moment, so he had time to think.

"Mayfield. Take over for a minute."

Mayfield stepped up to his post with his M-60 and started firing. He paced back and forth, racking his brains. Why weren't they attacking full force? It's as if they were just toying with them. But they couldn't be that smart. Marcus gave him a look. He shrugged it off and kept thinking. They traveled through the sewers. But there wasn't a manhole or access way for a few streets. So they had to travel here above ground. Why here? Why didn't they just retreat or attack? He came out of his thoughts when he realized the gunfire had stopped. Were they all dead? Mayfield called back to him.

"Captain. They're doing something with the dead."

"Theirs or ours?"

"Theirs, Sir."

What? They weren't exactly the ceremonial type. What the hell could they be doing? He looked out the window. Mayfield handed him a pair of night-vision goggles and pointed.  
"There, Sir."

He looked through and allowed his eyes to adjust. Out in the middle of the plant, next to the cooling unit for the meat, was a grouping of bodies. He saw the ugly bastards drag their dead into what looked like a big circle. Like they were just trying to cover the ground.

"Hmm."

Marcus spoke up from behind him.

"Hmm? That's all you've got to say?"

Not again. He sighed, returned the lenses to Mayfield, and turned around to face the angered Major.

"We're risking our lives on your experience and you've got nothing. Fucking brilliant."

"Stand down, Marcus."

"That's MAJOR to you, CAPTAIN."

This sounded like it was going to get ugly. And he wasn't in the mood for it.

"You drag my platoon in here, disobeying orders to go straight to Ryker's Island, and you get us killed and trapped in this shit hole with those things ready to mutilate us!"

"Stand down Marcus!"

Marcus turned to look at the other soldiers now as he spoke.

"So far our Captain's 'experience' has been about as useful as shit on a flagpole! Clay and Mason are dead, and I'll not be following them."

He'd had enough. Marcus was turned away from him now. Perfect shot. He walked up punched Marcus across the face, sending him to the ground.

"Stand down, MAJOR. Happy now?"

He looked around at the men. He could see some of them were inclined to agree with Marcus. Shit. He sighed again before speaking.

"All right. Now listen to me! I admit, I probably put too much faith in you boys. That's what fighting alone can do to a man. But we're not dead yet. We can beat these things. They're not smarter than us! We can kill 'em all. And we're getting out of here. By the barrels of our guns or the skin of our teeth, we're getting out of here. I led you in, I'll lead you out."

Mayfield stood at attention. And saluted.

"We're… we're with you Sir. Captain."

The stutter. Mayfield was the one from HQ. And the one in the truck. The admirer. Well he must have had some push with the others, because a few of them saluted too. Even Pierce. He heard Marcus roar and looked in time to see him charge at him, putting him against the window.

"He'll kill us all!"

Marcus was bleeding from his punch. He held back Marcus's wrists before kicking him in the gut, causing him to jack-knife. He grabbed him by the head and brought him over to the sink at the corner of the room. Marcus tried to grab his arm, but he shook him off and smacked his head against the inside of the porcelain sink. He let go and turned to cold water on, drenching his head.

"Cool off, Marcus."

He watched to make sure he was still alive. He was. He breathed heavily and didn't bother to raise his head. He watched the blood from his mouth go down the drain. The drain! Shit! He walked back over to the window and took the binoculars from Mayfield again. He looked down at the alien corpses. He was right. Smoke was rising from the floor. The corrosive blood was burning through it. Straight down to the sewer.

"What is it, Captian?"

That from Mayfield.

"They're burning a hole in the floor down to the sewer. They're getting reinforcements from down below."

They all cursed under their breaths. He looked again. The concrete floor turned to wet tissue paper. The sewer was only a few more feet down. They might be able to escape with the few that were left. He looked back at Pierce, who still couldn't walk. Marcus hadn't finished the splint.

"Somebody finish up Pierce. We've got to go."

"I've got it."

Marcus was back up. He turned off the water and shook his head before moving back to the splint. At least he was back to his senses. But if he endangered them like that again, he was getting a bullet. Everyone else was ready to go.

"Alright, let's move."

Seers had picked up his repaired mini-gun and headed for the door. He turned the knob and pushed. The door didn't open. He pushed harder.

"What the fuck?"

Corvich moved over to help. They pushed until Kaufman pushed them aside & kicked at the door. It gave way only a bit. Goop leaked through the broken latch. Son of a bitch. They had sealed them in. There was another door on the other side. It looked like a broom closet, but he had to check. He wrenched it open. It swung inward. It was a closet. And at his feet, a big brown, leathery thing. It looked like… an egg! The four flaps opened up and he slammed the door shut, locking it. He heard screeching coming from inside. He looked and saw he had caught one of its legs… or fingers… in the door. It fell to the ground, where the blood began to burn. It burned down along the door too. And it wouldn't be long before it hit the lock. He heard scrambling and screeching from behind the door. The fucker was still moving! They had to get out fast. They had given up on the door. He looked around.

"Time to go. The window!"

He moved up to it and began smashing it with the butt of his S.H.I.E.L.D. Special. The others joined in to break the safety glass. When all the shards were gone, they looked out at the giant acid hole. It was getting deeper fast. Definitely time to go. He turned back to the men.

"Alright. These suits should get us to the ground okay. I'll go first. Pierce, you take up the rear to we can catch you. Let's move!"

He was about to sit on the frame, but something blew a hole through the roof opposite them and blasted a few of the machines around. The light from the dawning sun finally invaded the cold, dark building, and it blinded him for a minute. They couldn't see what had caused the blast. It looked like… an angel. What the fuck?

* * *

He had been blasting buildings apart for about half an hour now. He hadn't been keeping track of how many. But by now the whole district was up in flames. He turned his attention toward the last one. The Northern-most and closest to the main road to Ryker's Island. Castle may have already taken it out. But better to be safe than sorry. He fired another missile down onto the building, creating a huge hole in the roof. He suddenly got something on his radio.

"…the fuck…that thing?"

He spoke into it.

"Hello? Hello?"

"War Machine?"

"Castle?"

"Was that you who blew a hole in our roof?"

"You're in the meat plant?"

"Yeah. And we could use some support."

He thought Castle was waiting for him at Ryker's already. He looked down and noticed the two vehicles out front. Jesus! He almost killed them.

"I'm coming down."

He heard gunfire over the radio.

"Hurry it up then!"

He flew down at full speed, engaging the mini-gun as he went. His mask allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness quickly. He saw, just like before, a huge hole in the floor, crawling with the monsters!

"Where are you?"

"On your left in the office."

He looked and saw the flashing of weaponry coming from a window. He auto-targeted the mini-gun and rained down a hail of led on the creatures. They screeched and growled to no avail as their numbers counted for nothing. But he was wasting enough ammo.

"Take cover!"

He waited a few seconds and fired another missile deep into the hole. The explosion ripped through all of them, sending blood everywhere, dissolving the machines. He immediately flew up and out of range. After the smoke cleared, he moved back down inside. Pieces of metal and concrete covered the hole. Twisted black corpses riddled the ground.

"Castle, you okay?"

"We're not dead."

"I'll take that as a yes. They all look dead from my view. You see anything?"

"Nothing. All clear."

He hovered down through the hole and onto the catwalk next to the office. He grabbed at the goop and pulled. It was tougher than it looked. He pulled harder, and harder, the suit giving all it could until finally it cracked and fell. He punched it again and again until it finally broke down to the ground. He counted eight soldiers. They all stood up again, brushing the shattered glass and wood from their uniforms. All except one stood up. He moved toward him. He noticed that he was laying half inside the closet, but the lock looked burned, melted. He grabbed the face-down soldier by the shoulder and turned him over. Attached to his face was one of those monster hatchlings. Jesus. Castle came up behind him.

"One of yours, Castle?"

"Yeah. But he didn't like it. I'd almost say he deserved it. But no man deserves that."

"We can't let that thing grow. Someone's got to put him down."

A voice came from behind them.

"I'll do it."

If the change in his scowl was any indication, it looked like Castle was surprised.

"Pierce?"

The soldier named Pierce limped over to them.

"He was an asshole anyway. And he tied a lousy splint."

Pierce gave a weak smile. He stepped away with Castle as he spoke to another trooper.

"Somebody cover him. Make sure that thing stays dead."

"Well, we better get going. It's dawn already."

"Right. Let's move, gentlemen."

They all made it outside and down the stairs before they heard the burst of gunfire. Pierce had just executed Marcus. He hobbled out through the door and spoke.

"Aw, shit. My leg's still sore. Can somebody give me a lift?"

He walked over to Pierce and picked him up. The armor making him almost weightless.

"Thanks War Machine."

"No problem, soldier."

They all headed toward the slime-covered door. Two soldiers with mini-guns opened up until the door was nothing but a heap of metal on the ground. They all walked out to the vehicle. Another soldier with a long-range radio exited the vehicle and moved over to talk to Castle. He moved to the open door and placed the soldier down on the seat against the wall.

"Thanks again, pal."

* * *

Beeche had stayed in the truck like he'd told him too. He told Beeche about their losses and sent him back in. One hell of a night. War Machine had put Pierce in the truck with Beeche before turning back to the building. He looked too, as well as the other soldiers. They all looked back at the building that was almost their tomb as War Machine let off a rocket and blew the place apart. The steel and plastic falling. The raw meat and alien corpses blended together under the heap.  
He looked at War Machine as the soldiers entered the vehicles. He had thought he was an angel before. But it turned out to be the mini-gun and missile launcher on his shoulders rather than wings. He was glad. Angels had only ever been trouble for him. And at the moment he would have done to one of them the same thing he did to those monsters.  
He was about to enter the truck when he saw something coming toward them through the morning mist. Another alien! He immediately fired and killed it before it could attack. War Machine followed him as they moved toward it. There was an open sewer hole about twenty feet away. War Machine inspected the man hole while he looked over his kill. It had eight limbs. Four on its back. And it was holding eggs. He backed up and blew them apart with a few rounds. It was a Carrier. He remembered Parker saying something about it at the meeting. It must have come from a Queen to bring fresh eggs. Where did it come from, was the question. War Machine walked back over to him.

"The sewer way it came from only has one direction."

"Where?"

"Ryker's. It must have come from the water and into the sewer to come up here."

One hell of a night just turned into one hell of a morning. Fuck.

* * *

_Author's Note: Well, I hope you all enjoyed my latest chapter. Bringing the two powerhouses together was a bit tricky, but I really liked writing this one. I hope you all enjoyed reading it just as much. Remember to review, and tell me "How's my writing?" Constructive criticisms are as welcome as anything. I thank all of you who have been following along. But I can only thank those who give reviews. Otherwise, how can I know who you are? ;) Well, until next time... yeah I'm going to say it... Excelsior! -War Journalist_

_P.s. I read this over again and realized my poor grammar, so I took it down and re-posted it. Sorry about the inconvenience. Have a nice day.  
_


	22. Morning

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

**Morning**

God almighty. Nicholas Joseph Fury had never been a praying man, but if there was ever a time, he supposed it would be now. He removed his knuckles from above his tired brow above the eye patch and sat up in his chair. He hadn't had contact with Iron Man, Spider-Man, or any of the Fantastic Four since they left this morning. When none of their units reported back, and a fire was sighted at the Baxter Building, he had sent out a patrol. He just received word back. The whole tower was covered in alien slime. And the top flows had been blown to kingdom come. The air units destroyed in the blast, and the ground units crushed beneath the falling rubble. His patrol had found the only survivor and told them the story. No sign of anyone from the tower. No radio contact, no locator tracking, no satellite imagery, no life signs of any kind.

Christ. Two heroes, two platoons, and an entire family: dead in the service of their country. It was a phrase he had heard too many times over the years. And it did nothing to ease the pain. They'd all get commendations…and commemorations. He'd say a prayer for them all. But he didn't know where to start.

He opened his eye and looked at the corner of his desk. He was in his office for the first time since this whole thing began. He'd been in the conference room all night. A bottle of un-opened whiskey he had confiscated sat on the corner of his desk. How the new boys had snuck it in, he'd never know. And next to it, the last cigar he had on him. Why not. He picked up the whiskey. Thirty years old. Good stuff. He looked out the window to his right. He could see the smoldering remains of the Baxter Building in the distance. He promptly opened the window, six sheets of bulletproof glass, and looked down at the city below. Dawn had just broken. And it was probably the best view of the city he'd had in a long time. Damn shame. He pulled off the wrapping and pulled the cork out with his teeth. He gave a salute toward the tower, and dumped the whiskey out the window, until the very last drop was gone. He sighed and threw the empty bottle out the window before closing it. He sighed again and set his sights on his cigar. Running the end through his teeth, he picked up the last of his matches that accompanied it. He struck it and lit the Cuban beauty, really letting the flavor flow through him. His kind of prayer.

He heard static come in through his headset that he had set on the desk. He'd wanted to be alone for the moment. But it was back to business.

"_Fury here. Say again."_

"_Colonel! The creatures… they've broken through! They're in the building!"_

The soldier sounded scared out of his mind.

"_You're telling me they got through the six sheets of steel welded to the sewer access?"_

"_Affirmative, Sir. They just… tore it apart. I hit the alarm, but we're losing men! Shit!"_

He heard gunfire over the mic. He was already running down the hall when the soldier came back.

"_Can't hold them without reinforcements! Christ they're getting into the elevator shaft!"_

"_On my way soldier. Hang tough!"_

The alarm blared through the building as he made sure his S.H.I.E.L.D. Assault Rifle was full, cocked, and armed. Apparently he couldn't use the elevator, so he was rushing down the stairs. Back to business alright.

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He was sitting in the S.H.I.E.L.D. truck rolling down the road destined for Ryker's Island. Being awake and fighting for so long had left him physically and mentally beat. He had nodded off for a few minutes after they'd left the warehouse. He woke up with a start. Apparently nothing had happened. Good. At last a bit of peace. He checked the timepiece in the suit. Six-thirty. He'd been out for an hour. Felt like only a few minutes.

He stifled a yawn as best he could. He remembered that nobody could see his sleeping through the suit. He was still sitting against the wall. He looked around at the soldiers. Superior officers, much less superheroes, weren't supposed to show any sign of weakness. He looked to the front where Castle sat in the driver's seat. Man was a machine. A real soldier. And in that respect, despite his recent career, he admired him. He supposed.

He turned to look at the three soldiers in the back with him. Aside from Pierce, the one he had brought in, none of them were asleep. But they looked exhausted. He had seen it before. Tired vigilance. Common with soldiers in action. All the excitement… he wish he could find a better word… keeps them awake. They'll keep fighting until they pass out or die. The horrors they must have seen by now. And now that he thought about it, the memories of his own platoon being eaten alive came rushing back. God damn. He'd get his revenge for his troops. Even if he had to follow a madman like Castle into Ryker's.

He watched as one of the soldiers checked his mini-gun pack. Young, strong guy. Looked too young to be a career soldier. Maybe a farmhand. He looked a little bit like a young Carl Weathers. He remembered reading up on military experiments with handheld mini-guns. All failures. Too heavy and far too much force behind it. Apparently S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't get that particular memo. Then again, neither did Tony, apparently. He looked at his own mini-gun and remembered ammo. He brought up the specs. He was practically empty. And he only had two missiles left. But he didn't think he could find anymore of those. He leaned over to the soldier.

"_What's your name?"_

"_Seers, sir."_

"_You got any extra ammo? I'm running low myself."_

Seers produced a footlocker from beneath his seat and opened it. Plenty of rounds.

"_Help yourself, War Machine. My pack's full. Don't think I'll be needin' anymore. And _

_Kaufman's got his own supply in the other truck."_

"_Thanks."_

He dislocated the mini-gun and fed the belts of rounds down the small hole just the way he had done many times before. He put the first bullet in and the gears in the suite automatically reeled the belt into the form-fitting pack on his back. Seeing the round-counter hit five-hundred, he slid the mini-gun back into place and closed the footlocker.

"_Where do you hail from, Seers?"_

"_Louisiana, Sir. Family business was shrimpin'. Made enough money to get by. And my _

_uncle had an alligator ranch. Never made much money, but it made me strong. Strong enough to lug this sucker around anyway."_

Seers smiled and brandished the mini-gun. He was about to ask where in Louisiana, but he felt the truck slow to a stop and heard Castle call back.

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"_Enough chit-chat. We've got work to do."_

Damn it. He knew this would be a problem. He threw the stick into neutral and stepped out. He heard War Machine's boots hit the concrete along with the screech of the second truck stopping. The fog was low on the bridge. Not a problem. He stepped out in front of the vehicle and saw War Machine stand beside him. The bridge to the prison was raised.

"_S.O.P. is to keep the bridge up. Visitors are usually flown in. Inmates always go by bus."_

Then again, not many inmates ever left. Legally, anyway. War Machine turned to him.

"_How are we getting in? I can't fly everything over."_

"_Good. Because you're just gonna fly yourself over. Bridge controls are in the guard station."_

"_But won't they be expecting us?"_

"_We made it this far."_

War Machine flew over the bridge. Shouldn't take him long. After they got over the bridge, they'd use whatever explosives they had to detonate the gate. After that, it was just clean-up duty.

"_Captain, Sir!"_

Corporal Beeche. He turned and saw the little guy running toward him from the second truck.

"_What is it, Corporal?"_

"_It's Colonel Fury, Sir! He asked for you."_

About time he heard from Fury. He was still a bit fuzzy on the scheme here.

"_What is it, Fury?"_

Gunfire in the background. Screeching & screaming.

"_Alright, Castle new plan. Hold off on the extermination for right now. Meet me on the _

_Ryker's roof as quick as you can. I'm coming in. Copy?"_

"_Acknowledged. What happened? Did we lose HQ?"_

"_You're a soldier, Castle! You know what need-to-know basis means."_

"_Affirmative. See you on the roof."_

Well that certainly changes the situation. If they had lost S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ that means they're expanding their territory again. Shit. He handed the headset back to Beeche and squeezed his collar-mounted mic.

"_Alright, listen up everyone. We're meeting Col. Fury on the roof. War Machine, you got that bridge…"_

He heard the steel gears turn behind him and looked back to see War Machine walking across the bridge.

"_Yes Sir."_

"_Alright then, let's move!"_

He climbed back into the truck and put it back into first gear. War Machine flew ahead and he led the trucks toward the gate. He was about to stop again when War Machine let off a rocket and blew a nice hole through the gate. Before pushing it the rest of the way open. Had to hand it to him. Her kept on driving through into the courtyard. Brought back memories. He stopped just in front of the doorway and stepped out. Again he heard the other truck stop and saw the soldiers gather in front of him. War Machine immediately went to work on the doors.

"_Alright men. We've got eight stories to climb and no elevators. That means a lot of _

_stairs. And probably a lot of aliens. So mount up and move out!"_

War Machine had managed to get the doors open wide enough for them to get through. They moved in.

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Damn it all to Hell! He hated to do it, but he had no choice. They had to retreat and leave the tower. He and his group were trying to hold them back on the eighth floor, but no dice. They used the elevator shaft to attack every floor at once. He had already lost almost half of his forces here.

"_Alright! All platoons fall back to the roof! Repeat: All platoons fall back to the roof!"_

He had already called in for air support. All the choppers he could spare were moving in for extraction now. He fired another burst and killed another one. But he was running low. He started easing back as more came forward from the stairwell. One of the soldiers behind him grabbed the directory desk for this level, and he helped push it toward the stairwell door. Another soldier covered them. Finally they had gotten close enough and flipped the desk onto its side and propped it against the door. It wouldn't hold them for long, but it would slow them down.

He turned and ran down the hall with the rest and into the secure stairwell. He led them up as he spoke frantically into his mic.

"_Is level nine clear?"_

After a few seconds he heard a response.

"_Yes Colonel!"_

"_Alright, everyone clear out up to the roof! Now!"_

He heard screeching from down below and saw that the monsters had broken into the stairwell. Shit! The soldiers behind him began firing downward, and it looked like they were holding them off. He saw the door for floor number ten and slammed into it.

"_Go, go, go!"_

He shouted to his shoulders as they passed. He let loose a hail of bullets down the stairwell at the approaching creatures. They fell and blocked up the passage for the most part. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked quickly. Another soldier.

"_What about you, Colonel?"_

"_I've got to activate the self-destruct and make sure the download is complete. Now get the Hell out of here! That's an order!"_

The soldier immediately ran up the stairs after his company. He turned and ran his security card through the door scanner and it opened up. He quickly stepped in and locked the door again. He looked around the area. There was no other access to this section of the level. After making sure the coast was clear, he moved over to the main computer against the opposite wall and ran his card through it. The screen flashed green for access, and a retinal scanner emerged. He stared into it and the screen flashed green again. And finally, he spoke his full name into the microphone.

"_Colonel Nicholas Joseph Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."_

The screen flashed green a third time and opened up into the S.H.I.E.L.D. database. He

spoke into the microphone again.

"_Confirm: All New York Headquarters data downloaded into Omega Base computer."_

The computer voice responded back.

"_Confirmed. Download completed."_

"_Activate Defcon Five security lasers for levels nine and below."_

"_Maximum-power security lasers activated."_

Alright, time to light this candle.

"_Begin New York Headquarters emergency self-destruct program."_

"_Confirm: self-destruct program initialized."_

"_Confirmed"_

"_S.H.I.E.L.D. New York Headquarters will self-destruct in five minutes and counting."_

"_Sign out."_

The screen returned to its original blankness, aside from the countdown clock in blue. Damn good. Worst came to worst, S.H.I.E.L.D. was only out one building. He squeezed his mic again.

"_Are all levels clear?"_

"_All levels clear, Colonel! The choppers have landed and we're waiting on you."_

"_I'm on my way!"_

He ran back to the door and swiped his card to open it. He stepped out to see a Xenomorph standing in front of him. Shit! He raised his gun to fire, but it smacked the barrel away. He countered by smashing the butt of the rifle into whatever resembled a chin. It wobbled to its right and he put his rifle against its chest, forcing it against the safety rail. He tried to push it over, but it kicked him in the chest sending him against the wall on his ass. He had lost his rifle! It threw the firearm back over its banana-shaped head and screeched at him. He remembered the Deagle he had tucked away in his ankle holster and pulled it out, firing away. After six shots from the extended magazine the creature toppled backward over the rail and into the red security lasers. Fried and cut into little burnt Xeno-steaks.

He stood up and immediately made his way up the stairs at a demon's pace. Top floor was number twelve, and as he rounded the door to number eleven he pulled his second Deagle from his armpit holster and looked back, making sure nothing was following. He could hear the roar of the chopper as he reached door number twelve. It popped open in front of him and he fired round after round into the Marauder standing there. When it didn't go all the way down he leaned all his weight to the left and ran two steps up the wall, delivering a flying roundhouse kick to its jaw. He felt a little sting in his let leg when he landed. Guess it time for him to take that Infinity Formula again.

He slammed the door shut again and made his way to the open door to the roof. He stepped out and closed the door behind him. Even over the roar of the chopper he heard the air-raid siren voice of the computer emanate from the speakers on the outside of the building.

"_S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters will self-destruct in exactly forty-five seconds."_

He leaped into the helicopter. The pilot called back to him.

"_Not a minute too soon, Colonel."_

"_Just fly the fucking chopper!"_

Before he had even finished his curse, the metallic bird was in the air. He held on tight to the safety cable and looked back over to see the building topple behind them. Strategically-placed explosives in the building made sure it collapsed in on itself without doing significant damage to the surrounding structures. Good luck making a hive out of that. He looked around at the other soldiers. This was a S.H.I.E.L.D. attack chopper, so it was built to carry at least one platoon. And it looked like that was all he had. He spoke to one of the soldiers.

"_How many in the other helicopter?"_

"_About five or six, Sir."_

A platoon-and-a-half. He hoped it would be enough. The pilot called back again.

"_Where we heading, Colonel?"_

"_Ryker's Island. We're meeting Castle and War Machine on the roof."_

"_Roger that, Sir."_


	23. The Battle for Ryker's Island

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE  
The Battle for Ryker's Island**

He raised his left arm to shield his eyes from the kicked-up dust. He felt the rest of the platoon gather beside him and moved forward, ducking down as he did. Fury stepped out first, followed by another platoon. At the other end of the roof, another chopper landed and another group stepped out as the first killed its motor. War Machine took off to greet the second chopper. He lowered his arm as Fury walked toward him, cigar-in-mouth and gun-in-hand.

_"Glad to see you still alive, Castle."_

_"Same to you."_

He heard the second helicopter power down and saw War Machine lead the half-dozen soldiers over. Fury led he and War Machine into an open spot away from the others before speaking.

_"Alright, let's get down to it, gentlemen. Here's the situation: At the bottom of this prison is a secret submarine launch platform. This sub has one destination and one only: the  
Raft. Our objective is to reach that sub and take it."_

War Machine spoke up.

_"Why can't we just fly everyone over?"_

_"The Raft has state-of-the-art defenses that stop any boat, plane, or any other object that approaches. The only things that get in are submarines under S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol. Once we're in, we can disable those defenses."_

He spoke up too. Something smelled fishy since they had gotten this detail.

_"Sounds too easy. What's the catch?"_

_"We need two access cards to open the door. I have one."_

Fury flashed his access card. He was probably suspicious that he'd decide to use that  
secret exit on his next trip to Ryker's. Couldn't blame him. He would.

_"The other one resides with the Warden. Both have to be used at the exact same time, or the sub is set to blow."_

_"So what's the plan?"_

_"We're splitting up. Each take eight soldiers. How many wounded?"_

Pierce came to mind.

_"Just one of mine. A bad leg, but he can move now."_

_"War Machine, you take him. You've got enough firepower to pick up the slack. My unit will take the Administration Wing. War Machine, you'll take the Regular Security Wing. Castle, you'll take the Maximum Security Wing. I'm sure you're more than familiar with it."_

He would have said something if it weren't so true. He knew that place inside-and-out.

_"Okay boys, dismissed."_

_

* * *

_

He moved slowly and silently through the administration offices. The lights were out for the most part. Some still flickered, but most were covered in slime, along with the walls. That only made the narrow hallways even smaller. Thankfully the Warden hadn't had time to initiate lockdown, as the windows were the main source of light.

He poked his head out over the little wooden wall between offices and looked through the window with his one eye. All clear. He signaled with his hand for the troops to move forward, clutching his newly acquired gun. Thankfully the soldiers had salvaged an extra S.H.I.E.L.D. Assault Weapon from HQ. He had taken eight of the soldiers that escaped with him. Castle and War Machine had split the rest.

They kept moving. Thankfully they hadn't found any aliens yet. He wanted to keep things quiet and easy. They found plenty of mutilated corpses, though. Along with plenty of bloody trails down the halls. He was following the trails. They all seemed to go in one direction. He didn't know if it was a good or bad thing that they hadn't found Warden Statler yet. But they were bound to soon. They never got a distress signal from the prison. So when the invasion went public, he sent a patrol & found the island swarmed over. That meant nobody got out in time. SOP was to evacuate the staff, lock everything down, and blow the bridges. Whoever was left didn't deserve to get out. And it looked like nobody did.  
He came to another doorway and stepped inside, keeping low beneath the glass windows. He peeked over and saw that the next few offices formed a hallway. He looked back at the soldiers. The office was just big enough to hold all of them, with two just outside the doorway as lookouts. He held up one finger, followed by pointing at his eyes and motioning forward. One of the soldiers nodded and moved out the doorway into the next office. He watched as the soldier looked around, checking for signs, before turning back toward him. The soldier raised a hand and motioned "all clear." He was about to move, when he saw a tail come from the ceiling and remove the solder's arm. The boy screamed as he looked down at his hemorrhaging limb. He could only look on as the Xenomorph fell to the ground and began to devour the soldier. He shook himself out of it and began firing through the window.

_"Fall back and fire at will!"_

The beast screeched as the huge shells tore it apart. But even as he backed toward the opposite office wall, he heard screaming through the glass behind. He looked back through the glass to see another soldier lifted into the air and impaled by the small inner jaw. He fired straight through the blood-covered glass. The monster was down, but the soldiers were firing in all directions to the sound of screeches coming from all directions. Damn it all! He stood up to get a better view, and saw a Xenomorph burst through the glass in the next office. He let off a burst, but it leaped at him and nailed him to the floor. He used his rifle to hold the monster's head up; keep that jaw away from him. He lifted a boot and kicked it between the legs, but no luck. Shit.

He held his right arm up to hold the gun & used his left to reach for the combat knife in his left boot. It reached its right claw up to slash at him, but he impaled the hand on the knife and held it back. It screamed, lifting its head into the air. He saw his chance. He aimed his rifle at its throat, put his right cheek to the floor, and fired. As he did so, he used his left leg to kick the beast off. It flew into the doorway and tried to screech through its perforated throat, but all that came out was gurgling and blood. He could feel and hear burning on the left side of his face and rushed for the water cooler. He fired a few rounds, blowing the top off the plastic jug, and dunked his head in. Fucking acidic blood! He shook his head around until the burning lessened before lifting out and rubbing his suited arm over the area until it stopped entirely. He looked back at the jug and saw his burned eye-patch floating to the bottom. He could hear screeching coming from down the next hallway & gunfire coming from the doorway. One of the soldiers poured a dozen rounds in the dead alien's head. Fuck it. There was no point in keeping quiet now. Damn, he wished he had a cigar.

He reached the bottom of the stairway; his metal boots patting the concrete floor as he went, and occasional squish as he stepped in bits of slime. Castle was right behind him as he moved forward to the intersection. The soldiers were picking up the rear. The walls and most of the ceiling were covered in the alien goo, blocking the lights. There was one heavy, black, steel door leading forward & two regular doors leading in opposite directions. Over the left door in black painted letters was written "Blocks A & B: Maximum Security." And over the right door in the same writing was "Blocks C & D: Normal Security." He turned to Castle, who stood just beside him.

_"The black door leads to Solitary and Death Row. Looks like we split up here."_

They both looked back to the soldiers. They were looking around, checking their weapons, and talking to one another. Castle stepped forward.

_"Line up!"_

They silently and immediately did so. He stepped forward too, looking over the new soldiers Fury had brought in.

_"Okay. Seers & Pierce come with me."_

Like games on the playground. Castle who looked over them as well.

_"Mayfield, and Corvich can come with me. And you've got Seers, so Kaufman too. Reese, you go with War Machine."_

They had left Corporal Beeche with the choppers on the roof. The rest of the soldiers were Fury's troop.

_"Okay, we don't have time to nitpick. Half of you go with Castle, the other half with me."_

The group shuffled a bit, clearly unsure of which of the two soldiers they trusted. Castle made the choice easier.

_"If you've got the guts to go into the Maximum Security Wing, come with me."_

That did it. The group split neatly in half. He looked over his new troops before looking at Castle again.

_"Okay, so what's the layout?"_

_"There's a hallway about twenty feet long beyond the door. Then a guard station on the  
side just before you walk out into the first cell block. After the cell block there should be an intersection. The door in front of you leads into the exercise yard. Beyond that is the next cell block. The left hallway leads to the cafeteria and kitchen. The right leads to the showers and laundry."_

_"Okay, thanks. Good luck."_

_"We're all gonna need it."_

He gave one last look at the old soldier before heading through the steel door. He led the group down the long hallway, staying tight to the slime-covered walls. He saw the guard station and held a fist in the air to signal "stop." He pointed one finger forward, and Reese moved toward slightly open door. Reese nudged it open with the tip of his gun and stepped inside.

_"Aw, Jesus."_

He moved into the room to find a mutilated guard sprawled out in the corner. Damn those things. He looked out through the window at the cell block. The large windows covering the right wall lit up the bluish-silver slime covering most of the cell block. He looked at the computer screen and saw that all of the cells were closed. But he was taking no chances with these monsters. Not this time. The window was tall enough to see both floors of the block.

_"Stay here in case we need help with the doors. And watch our backs."_

Reese saluted, and he stepped out of the room and motioned forward, leading the rest of the platoon into the cell block.

_"Alright, three go up, three stay down. Slow and easy. We don't need any surprises."_

He watched three soldiers run up the stairs on this end, so he engaged the rockets in his boots and flew up to the second floor at the other end. He began moving down the line of cells. Most were empty. Some were covered in blood and gore. He saw the other three moving toward him as they checked the cells. The next few were empty. One of the others called to him.

_"War Machine! Here."_

He walked over to the center cell. The soldier who had called became green in the face and leaned over the guard rail. The cell bars had been ripped apart. One inmate was lying on the lower bunk; intestines splattered and flesh burned. The other man was slimed to the wall with a face-hugger on him. The egg lay crushed in the corner. They must have tried to squish it, but died of the burns. Jesus. He trained his mini-gun on the victim and fired, making sure there was nothing left of the creatures. He turned back around to the soldiers. Two were helping the third keep his lunch down. He stood next to the green soldier and put his hand on his shoulder.

_"Don't worry. It doesn't get much worse than that. You're doing good."_

The boy suddenly stood up straight, swallowed, and sighed.

_"Thank you sir."_

_"What's your last name?"_

_"Norman, sir."_

_"Head back downstairs, Norman. We're moving on."_

_"Yes sir."_

He spoke into his mic to the rest of the group.

_"Put down any infected. Make sure the monsters are dead. On the face AND in the chest."_

As he powered up his boots he heard bursts of gunfire below. He landed and saw several cells in the same state: torn open with infected inmates. He looked back and saw Reese rejoining the group. He moved forward, leading the group down the concrete hallway. Things were going well so far. But he wasn't about to get cocky. Not this time.

He came to the intersection. One door, and two hallways; just like Castle said. These things didn't like to work in the light, so it wouldn't make sense for them to be in the yard. And he didn't feel like splitting up, so it was either the kitchen or the showers. He had a good feeling about going left. Kitchen. He motioned with his hand, and the troop followed him down the hallway. The light from the barred windows leaked in, giving him a view into the empty yard.

He finally came to the double doors, and eased one open enough to see. Again, the lighting was dim due to the slime. When he saw no movement, he signaled and moved in. Silverware and food trays lay scattered over the room. He moved forward slowly and made a stirring motion in the air. The group spread out between the tables. The sensors in his visor picked up nothing. He heard a surprised yelp over the mic and looked around, holding his hands out with repulsers ready. He saw one of the soldiers silently wave a hand over the tables and he moved toward them. It was one of Norman's friends. He stood over two dead aliens. Well, at least some of the people fought back before they died. He was about to call over the mics when he heard something move in the kitchen. He whirled back around and ducked down, holding up one hand and pointing toward the kitchen.

He ducked down just under the tray line and found another dead monster. He hoped it hadn't been a slow death as he sneered through the mask. He heard more movement through the kitchen door, followed by chattering and hissing. He looked around the corner through the doorway and saw two of the creatures rummaging through the food. They hissed and threw the food around in disappointment. He was about to feed them a meal they wouldn't forget. He pointed through the door, followed by clenching his fist: code for "take 'em down."

He stood up and let loose with the mini-gun. The two beasts were stunned, but not dead. Marauders. One moved to the furthest corner, and the other attacked. He moved out of the way as gunfire came form the soldiers behind him, dropping the beast. He looked up in time to see the other one crawling along the ceiling toward him. He fired a repulser blast and sent it sprawling into the corner. He moved to the next row of ovens and found another monster waiting for him. Its tail missed his shoulder by inches as he dodged, and grabbed the extremity before firing another repulser blast. The creature flew back and crashed into a cart of trays. He moved to the row of sinks at the back wall. Nothing. He looked back to see the soldiers spreading through the kitchen. One lifted the metal serving door, causing the steel to screech.

He suddenly heard a bump and looked back to the sinks. Still nothing. He heard a second bump and looked down the rows of sinks to a small metal closet. He moved in front of it and trained his mini-gun on the door before yanking it open. Inside was a man. Judging by his uniform, he was a guard. He was cowering; holding a butcher knife up for protection. He stood up and smiled. At least he thought it was a smile. The man's face was so scarred, it looked like a grimace. He helped the man stand up.

_"Oh, shit. Thank goodness you guys came. I thought I wasn't gonna make it. I killed a couple of 'em, but whatever the fuck they bled chewed through all my weapons."_

His accent proved he was a New Yorker. The dead ones must have been his handiwork. But apparently no good deed went unpunished.

_"What happened to your face? Did they do that?"_

The man's eyes widened and his upper lip twitched before he answered.

_"Uh, y-yeah. Fuckers scratched me up pretty good. But I found some thread and was able to stitch myself up."_

_"What's your name?"_

_"Ji… uh… Jimmy."_

_"Okay, Jimmy. Just stick with us and we'll get you out of here."_

Jimmy smiled his twisted smile again. Poor guy.

* * *

As he looked over the last of the cells in this block, a thought crossed his mind. He never thought he'd ever come back here willingly. At least, not twice. He waved a hand for the rest of the group to follow him. Last time he came to get Jigsaw before his gang busted him out. He didn't get to kill him, but made sure Saint stayed here. Now that he thought about it, Saint should still be here. Hmm. Maybe today was his day.  
He forgot about Jigsaw as he approached the double doors to the cafeteria and met up with the three he had sent ahead. They were supposed to check the café and kitchen, and block the way into the next block's café. They were all back in on piece, and they looked calm. Apparently it was good news.

_"All clear, sir. We blocked it up with everything we could find."_

Good. He didn't want any surprises. This was going to be quick and easy. He radioed for everyone to converge on the showers. He marched down the hallway. The lights were slimed, but the windows let in some light. He had checked the yard already: all sealed up. And that barricade should hold up okay in the café. Keep them from coming around on their asses. He could smell the shower from a distance. Almost as bad as the meat plant. He looked back and saw the rest of the group gathered behind him.

_"Spread even. Eyes open. No sound."_

He turned back to the doorway and pushed it open. The locker room. The cold white tile squeaked uncomfortably against their boots. He saw the group spread among the locker rows. Slime was everywhere. The floor was covered in some spots. He saw Mayfield behind him watching his back. He moved forward through the short hall into the showers. Columns on either side. He saw the other troops move in through the entrances on either side against the wall. Nothing. Not a sound. They moved past the walls into the next set of shower columns. Still nothing. No eggs; no drones; nothing but slime and mist.

Everyone converged on the next hallway. It led to the laundry/boiler room. He waved forward and led them down the hall. A guard station sat on the right side. He motioned two fingers toward it as he passed. Two soldiers stopped and checked inside. They came back out and shook their heads. What the Hell was going on? He was expecting to walk straight into the lion's den. He moved around a corner. No luck was better than bad luck, he supposed. He moved down a short stairway to the door to the laundry/boiler room and again waited for the rest before pushing through the door.

The air was thick and warm. Slime covered the walls and floor, along with the mist. The lights were almost completely blocked out by the slime giving the room a haunting glow. The light on his S.H.I.E.L.D. Special clicked on, as did the lights on the other Specials. He moved forward into the huge hallway that was the room. There was another guard station on his right, and catwalk above it. Piping and vents covered the ceiling. The boilers sat against the right wall, with the washers and dryers on the left wall. Carts and bags full of clothes were everywhere. But he couldn't see the other end of the room. It curved around to meet the showers in the other cell block.  
He looked around. Shifting shadows. He could hear their chirping and screeching around them, but he couldn't see them. He looked back and saw the other soldiers reacting to the tactic as well. Their lights caught them every so often, but they kept running away. He heard movement on the catwalk above them and looked up to see nothing. Why weren't they attacking? They weren't even closing in. They could still make it to the door if they had to escape. If they weren't going to strike, he certainly was. He whispered behind him.

_"Flash grenade."_

He held his hand backward and soon felt the cold metal of a grenade in his hand. He pulled the pin.

_"Fire in the hole!"_

He threw it forward and covered his eyes. The fluorescent reaction lit up the room even after the flash. Some of the creatures stared at the grenade while other scurried away.

_"Fire at will!"_

The room lit up with gunfire. Two fell to his gun, and several more to the others' before the rest of them scurried around the corner.

_"Corvich! Mayfield! On the catwalk!"_

He led to the two soldiers to the guard station and climbed up the ladder inside, leading up to the catwalk. He ran above the other four soldiers.

_"Use the flash bangs, and kill 'em all. Move!"_

He saw Corvich and Mayfield come up behind him and charged forward. He saw someone below throw another flash bang and light up more of the curving room. More aliens came into the view of his gun sight and fell. The acidic blood ate through the pipes and let steam into the room. He finally rounded the corner and felt the steel fall from beneath his feet. He quickly reached out for the guard rail and caught it, but his gloved hand slid down it the length of it. The rest of the catwalk had been torn down. He put his right arm on the catwalk and tried to lift himself up. He quickly felt Corvich and Mayfield help him. He looked back and saw a huge black mass only ten feet away, where the other doorway was supposed to be. Another flash bang rolled on the ground in front of it and lit up. The back mass moved. It stood up, and an ugly toothed maw came out from the giant crown-like head. A Queen. Full-grown. Holy shit. He backed up with Corvich and Mayfield while the four below fired away at the screeching drones. The Queen's roar echoed back and forth down the curved hallway/room. He heard Kaufman's mini-gun come to life and riddle the eggs at the Queen's feet with hot lead. He let loose on the giant monster. Mayfield and Corvich soon joined in. Corvich shouted curses in Spanish as he fired. But the beast just shrugged off their gunfire and charge forward.

_"Fall back! Fall back!"_

The sound of screaming from below confirmed that his orders hadn't come soon enough. The she-beast screamed and screeched as she crushed the soldiers below. The steam from the pipes soon clouded his vision of the monster as he led Corvich and Mayfield back toward the guard station. He heard steel snapping as the walkway was being torn away behind them. Corvich stopped and turned around, going full auto into the mist and steam.

_"Corvich, no!"_

He could barely be heard over the gunfire, screaming, and screeching. He saw a massive tail fly forward and impale Corvich into the catwalk, which folded under the pressure and fell to the ground. The bitch's head appeared through the fog. Mayfield opened up with his M-60 as they backed up to the guard station. Nowhere to go. He fired into the creature's face as best he could, and even chipped a big chunk off of that big crown. Mayfield turned to him as they fired.

_"What do we do Captain?"_

He couldn't think of a response. The tail came again and slammed into the pipes just a few feet in front of them before retracting. He saw the big pipe above them had been cut open, but nothing came out. The air vent. If he ever smiled, this would be one.

_"We've got to get in that air duct!"_

They fired full auto as they ran forward toward the hole in the steel vent. He pulled a fragmentation grenade from his belt and threw it forward into the mist before pulling back for cover. He heard the blast and saw the outline of the beast through the fog. Now was the time.

_"Give me some cover!"_

_"Yes Sir!"_

He reached up and grabbed the edge of the giant circular vent before throwing his gun in. He pulled himself most of the way up before he felt Mayfield push him. There was little condensation. This hadn't been used in a while. Probably since the attack. He looked back down through the hole to see Mayfield spreading heavy fire back and forth. He flipped himself on his back and fired the gun at the monster in the mist. There was no way Mayfield was getting up here with that gun. He reached his left hand down.

_"Mayfield!"_

The soldier looked up and handed his gun up, which he placed next to him in the vent. He could tell he was running low on ammo, so he let off short bursts as covering fire. He flipped himself over again and threw another grenade toward the beast. He waited for the sound of the blast before reaching down for Mayfield.

_"I'm not gonna make it, Captain!"_

_"Mayfield, shut up! That's an order!"_

As Mayfield got his grip on the vent, he helped him up and into it. They had to crawl toward the guard station and upward a bit. It would carry them all the way back to the cell block. He hated to admit it, but going forward and staying here were not options. And he wasn't about to die fighting a battle he couldn't win. He crawled down the vent as quickly as he could; just like moving through the underbrush in the 'Nam. He heard the creature screeching below. The echo of the horrible sound was the only thing keeping the memories from clouding his mind. He reached the upturn and secured the straps on both guns around his shoulders. He flipped himself over again and pulled himself up. Thankfully it was only five feet up to the next level. He pushed his feet and hands against the wall as hard as he could, moving up a bit at a time, using two combat knives to dig into the vent. He heard Mayfield from below/behind him.

_"I'm coming up! She's right behind us!"_

He finally reached the top of the graciously-sized vent and turned around as best he could to help Mayfield up. He heard the creature screech again. Mayfield was almost up. He reached his hand down and grabbed his wrist. He was about to pull when he heard metal screeching, followed by flesh tearing and bone cracking. Mayfield looked up at him. Blood dripped from his mouth, and his eyes were going blank. The kid grabbed his hand and saluted one more time, before letting go. He fell back down the vent, through the new hole made by the creature's tail, and past the catwalk. He didn't look, but he heard the smack of his body hitting the concrete. Damn it all. He kept his eyes closed in a solid grimace as he turned around and headed down the air shaft. Damn these things. Damn them all.

* * *

_Author's Note: Hey out there, readers! Sorry about the wait for this one. I planned this to be the very last chapter in the Punisher/War Machine/Fury team-up, but it just got way too long. So there will be just one more chapter for this group. I have it all planned out, so hopefully it won't take quite as long as this one did. Anyway, for those of you who have stuck by me thus far, I want to show you the posters I have made for this little brainchild of mine. This is the third time I've had to re-post this chapter and it's beginning to piss me off. I can't post or send links, so if you want to see them just go to deviantart (.com)and search _AVMU Posters_. Thanks again for all the support. Keep reading, keep commenting, and I hope this inspires you to write your own stuff. Until next time!_


	24. The Battle for Ryker's Island Part II

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR****  
The Battle For Ryker's Island: Part II**

He quickly kicked the wooden door shut & dove behind the next office's desk for cover. He covered his ears and yelled.

"_Fire in the hole!"_

Two seconds later his grenade exploded, shattering the glass and the door of the office. He peered over the desk into the blast zone. Yup. They were dead, alright. He had managed to trick the last two Xenomorphs into the room before juking them and leaving behind his explosive present. He stood all the way up and cracked his neck to the right. He was getting too old for this shit. But damned if it didn't make life worth living. Speaking of which, he stepped out of the office he had hidden in, and looked around. He didn't see anyone else. He hoped at least some of them had made it.

"_Sound off!"_

He immediately heard movement and saw two soldiers emerge from the office next to him, and saw another coming from down the hall. They all stood before him when he spoke again.

"_Is this all of ya?"_

They looked at each other before nodding.

"_Alright then. We're movin' on."_

They looked no worse for the wear, thankfully. He was reminded of his own appearance when one spoke up.

"_Colonel, your eye…"_

"_I'm fine." _

He had found a piece of cloth to wrap around his dead eye after he lost his patch. Fucking aliens. He moved past the trio into the blown-up room. He stepped into the adjoining room, careful to avoid the blood. After that office there was a right turn and a reception desk. There was no receptionist; just a bloody trail leading into the next closed room: the warden's office. He held his rifle tightly. He had just used his last grenade, and gas didn't work on these bastards. He motioned for one of the three to open the door as he positioned himself in front of it. If something was in there, it wasn't going to be there much longer. He nodded to the soldier, and the door swung open inward. Nothing. He moved inside slowly.

The lights flickered, sending odd shadows across the slime-covered walls. The trail of blood ended at the warden's toppled desk. He moved behind it to find… nothing there. Just a red spot on the carpet. He looked up. There, slimed to the ceiling, was the receptionist. She was probably a pretty little thing, too. Key word: _was_. On her face was an alien. He looked around at the rest of the room. On the couch and in the two chairs against the opposite wall sat several open eggs. And just above them were four people melded with the slime on the wall, with the creatures clamped to their heads. Jesus. He looked around the walls and ceiling. There were at least twenty people strung up here. All with a face-hugger attached. He trained his gun on the eggs and looked inside. Empty. Well, that was _one_ bit of good news. He saw movement just above the couch and moved toward the wall. He saw the soldiers enter and look around. He had to find Warden Statler. Otherwise this whole plan would go to shit. He began clearing away the slime encasing the first person.

"_Help me out over here. We're lookin' for the warden."_

The others immediately begin uncovering the other three victims. He uncovered the right breast of his victim. A guard named Livingston, according to the nametag. The body suddenly jerked, and the face-hugger tightened its tail around the neck. They had to kill them, all of them, to make sure no more of these things spawned. He stepped back a few feet and fired one bullet into the victim's skull. Then a few more in the chest, just in case the little fucker was waking up. The red and green blood mixed, making an ugly mess. He watched as the body began to dissolve in front of him; slowly due to the dilution. He blinked and looked away. He turned around and couldn't help but look back up to the receptionist. He aimed and fired. One in the head, two in the chest. He heard a sucking sound, followed by a squish and turned around. The soldier closest to the door was firing at the floor, where a face-hugger lay motionless. The soldier stopped firing and stared as the blood began burning through the carpet. He looked up at the victim. Holy shit, it was the warden! He moved right in front of him and began shaking him.

"_Statler. Statler!"_

He smacked him a few times before Statler popped his head up and started breathing frantically.

"_It's inside me. It's inside me! Get it out!"_

He smacked Statler across the face again. He didn't have time for hysterics.

"_Statler, listen to me! Listen to me! Where is your access card to the submarine?"_

"_S-s-submarine…"_

Statler's chest suddenly jerked, and he screamed in pain, and surprise.

"_AHHH! GET IT OUT! HELP ME!"_

"_Damn it Statler, WHERE'S THE CARD?!"_

Shouting became the normal mode of speaking to drown out Statler's screaming as his chest jerked again.

"_You're going to die anyway! Just tell me where the fucking card is so no more people have to!"_

Statler voice suddenly toned down, as if her were choking on something. Blood started running out of his mouth & down his chin. He could barely make out his words.

"_The… card… s-s-stolen… s-s-s…"_

He pressed his ear close to the dying man's mouth.

"_Ssssaint… John… Ssssaint… s-s-stole the c-c-c-card."_

He looked into Statler's eyes. And repeated the words.

"_John Saint has the card?"_

Statler nodded weakly. His chest jerked again, and he started whimpering. He looked into

Statler's eyes. Desperate eyes.

"_H-h-h-help me…"_

He sighed and raised his rifle to Statler's head. Statler closed his eyes before he pulled the trigger. He closed his eyes and turned around, looking at the soldier who had killed the face-hugger.

"_Put 'em all down. One in the head, two in the chest. Make sure nothing's left alive."_

He walked out the door back down the stream of offices to the destroyed one. From the former-warden's office he heard a _splat_, followed by screeching and gunfire. Then silence. He heard a few more short bursts as he ran over the new information in his mind. John Saint, a.k.a. Billy Russo, a.k.a. Jigsaw: the most wanted mobster in America, has the key to getting off Ryker's Island. Son of a bitch. Now he really needed a cigar.

* * *

He fired another repulser blast into an alien's chest. He felt another grab him from behind, and did a rocket-assisted backflip, sending the monster several feet away to land on the hard concrete. They had managed to herd the last group of them into the exercise yard and surrounded them. Bullets flew all around him as he fought the monsters face-to-face. A little payback for what they had done to his first platoon. But he was getting tired. Staying awake for so long was starting to get to him. He flew up into the air above the squirming group of surrounded Xenomorphs. They desperately tried to run, but every single door was guarded. And any who tried to run were shot down. Most of them were dead. He fired another blast into the ground, and another, and another to catch any survivors. He scanned for life with the sensor in his helmet, and found none. He flew back to the main door and landed.

"_Nice work, men."_

The soldier at the door spoke as he pushed it open.

"_You really did a job on them, War Machine."_

"_I did MY job. Alright everybody. We're moving out. One last sweep."_

He was about the re-enter the building when he heard something over mic. He stepped back out into the yard, and heard it again. It was staticky, but he could hear someone. He flew up into the air for a better signal and listened.

"_Wa… achine. It's Fury. Co… back."_

"_This is War Machine. Repeat, this is War Machine. Fury?"_

"_I need you to… Castle in the Ma… Wing."_

"_Say again, Fury. You're breaking up. It must be the slime. I'm outside."_

He heard a crash over the mic.

"_Fury, are you alright?"_

"_Yeah, I'm fine. Just had to break a window for a signal. I can't raise Castle. Head for the Max Wing and find him. Tell him Jigsaw knows where the other access card is, so don't kill him. I'll meet you there. Fury out."_

He landed back on the concrete surface of the yard and squeezed his mic.

"_Cancel that last sweep, men. We're going into the Maximum Security Wing."_

Jigsaw, huh? He'd never heard of him. Sounded like some weird super villain. Probably an old enemy of Castle's. Then again if they were in here, they might have been old friends for all he knew. He was brought out of his thoughts as Jimmy walked up to him.

"_Hey, would you guys have an extra gun or something'? I'd feel safer with a weapon."_

"_Sorry Jimmy. We can't spare anything. Just stay close, and you'll be alright."_

Poor guy. He's probably seen more than any man ever should. He walked through the door, followed by the other soldiers as they gathered behind him. The walk back through the cell block was quick. His scanners didn't pick up anything. Hopefully they had cleaned the place out for good. A feeling of accomplishment swept over him. At last, they were making some headway. He pushed open the door and stared across the room at the Maximum Security Wing door before looking around the room. Everything was as it had been about an hour-and-a-half ago. He hoped Castle was alright. He may have been a maniac, but he was still a soldier. If Fury could put so much faith in the guy, why couldn't he? But that was a moral question for another time.

He pushed open the door to the Max. Wing and led the men in. Just like the other wing, there was a hallway with a guard station. Both were clean of the monsters. He moved on into the cell block and flew up to he second floor. Nothing but more dead inmates and monsters. He would have felt sorry, but if they were locked up here, there really wasn't much of a difference between the two. He landed back on the ground and led the group forward. He could tell Jimmy was getting pretty antsy. He wished he had an extra weapon to give him, just to calm him down. He came to the intersection. Nothing in the exercise yard. He didn't want to split up, just in case something was still loose in here. His instincts told him to go right this time. He always trusted his instincts. He had spent too many years denying them by working with Tony. His thoughts wandered toward his old friend as he walked down the hall toward the showers. They had had a rocky falling-out. But he hoped he was alright. He'd have to ask Fury about him later.

He was about to open the door to the showers when he heard a metallic bump. He looked up at the ceiling and saw a small air vent. He cocked his head and listened. Another bump. And it was coming from the vent. He heard a voice now.

"_Anybody out there?"_

It sounded like Castle. What the Hell was going on here? He rocketed up to the ceiling and spoke into the vent.

"_Castle? That you?"_

"_No. It's Santa Claus. I can't get through the vent."_

He was trapped. How did he get trapped in the vent? Where were the soldiers? Did they kill the aliens? Again, questions for another time.

"_Back up toward the shower. I'll make a hole in the ceiling."_

"_Acknowledged."_

He heard more bumping and looked down at the other troopers, who were already moving backward, with Jimmy ready to make a run for it. He looked back to the vent and heard no more movement. He raised a fist and punched the concrete. A huge crack appeared, and he punched it again. Bits and chunks fell to the floor. He could see metal: the vent! He punched one more time, knocking more away from the metal, exposing enough of the vent for Castle to crawl down through. He forced his hand through the light steel and tore away the exposed part. Castle crawled out of the darkness and leaned over the hole, falling to the ground and landing on his feet. He landed back on the ground next to him. Castle pulled an M-60 from over his shoulder and laid it on the ground, keeping hold of his S.H.I.E.L.D. weapon.

"_What happened?" _

"_We were ambushed. We found a Queen in the laundry room. A big one. She killed 'em all, and I barely got away. But she should be trapped down there."_

"_You hurt?"_

"_Fine."_

"_Okay. Fury called and told me to find you. He said we were supposed to look for someone named…"_

"_Jigsaw!"_

He was about to reply in surprise, when Castle suddenly ran forward through the crowd of soldiers. Jimmy started running away down the hall, and Castle was chasing him! He quickly fired up his rockets and chased them down the hall back into the cell block. He grabbed hold of Castle's arms and restrained him. He may have been an expert soldier, but he couldn't escape the suit's strength.

"_Let me go you fucking idiot!"_

"_What the Hell are you doing?! We rescued this guy from the aliens!_

"_He's not a guard you metal moron! He's Jigsaw! The biggest mob hit man in America!"_

He looked up at Jimmy, who just stood there, wearing that twisted smile.

"_Nice to see you again too, Castle."_

"_He must have stolen a guard's uniform in case someone came along, and you did!"_

The truth dawned on him. Jesus, he had been harboring a murdering psychopath! He inadvertently loosened his grip on Castle, and he took advantage of it, freeing his arms and raising his weapon. Jigsaw just stood there with his arms held out, ready to take the bullet with a confident smile. Suddenly Fury's words clicked in his head and he reached for the gun, holding it upward as three bullets erupted from it. Castle wrestled with his grip and they ended up facing each other; the gun between them. Castle spoke.

"_He's a monster. He's murdered hundreds of innocent people. Families. Just like mine."_

He could see a shadow of pain behind Castle's war-hardened eyes. A pain long-ago turned into rage. But he couldn't let him kill him. And he didn't dare tell him about the access card. He didn't need Castle taking matters into his own hands.

"_Fury's orders were not to kill him. He's on his way. We'll deal with him then."_

He pulled the gun from Castle's hands. Just to make sure there was no more temptation. He'd have to do something with that M-60 too. He hoped Fury would be quick. Even super-strength couldn't keep those two apart for long.

* * *

He had never hated a single person as much as he hated Jigsaw. For everything he had done, all the suffering he had caused, he could never pay for it. It was like that fucking face was a permanent get-out-of-Hell-free card. And what only pissed him off more was the fact that he could never be the one to kill him. He had tried to many times. He was running out of ideas. He didn't know whether it was the angels or the demons who were laughing at him right now. Probably both. But he stifled his anger for now. He owed Fury. Just enough to let Jigsaw walk the Earth for a few more minutes at least.

He walked away from the miserable fuck, and back toward the group. They all stared at him. He was used to it. He walked back toward where he had laid down Mayfield's M-60, but War Machine had picked it up. Damn it. War Machine walked wordlessly past him. The group followed, and he took up the rear. They walked back into the cell block and War Machine started talking.

"_I'm going to take a quick look around. Norman & Blanchard come with me. Everyone else stay here and set up a perimeter in case of an attack."_

He leaned up against a wall next to a cell. War Machine walked past him on his way out with two soldiers following. He watched as the metal-head stopped and spoke to Seers. He listened hard.

"_Don't let that Jigsaw guy out of your sight."_

War Machine and his two followers left down the hallway. He leaned back, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes. As soon as Fury got here, they were going back down to kill that Queen. Mayfield and Corvich were good men who died too young. He couldn't say anything for the others, but if Fury trusted them they had to have been good men. Things had to get easier after that. Take the sub to the Raft, and it's Fury's show from there. He heard footsteps coming toward him and came out of his thoughts. They sure as Hell weren't combat boots. So it could only have been one person. The footsteps stopped and he heard something bump against the concrete wall across the cell from him. He opened his eyes and stared at Jigsaw, who stared back with that twisted grin he had given him.

"_Long time no see, Castle. You kind of lose track in here."_

Jigsaw knocked on one of the steel bars of the cell. He turned his head up and closed his eyes. Hopefully he could tune him out. But he just kept talking.

"_I never thought we'd ever be in this kinda situation. Less than ten feet between us, and we aint tryin' to kill each other. You can't kill me, cuz I'm the only one who knows the way off this rock. And I won't kill you cuz that just wouldn't be sportin'."_

"_That can change real fast."_

Jigsaw chuckled a little before continuing. Tuning him out wasn't working. And talking back wasn't going to work for very long. That urge to smash that ugly face against these steel bars was sneaking up on him.

"_Ya know, there was one thing I never got about you, Castle. I heard about that bit of business you had with the angels. You killed for them, and they let you see Heaven. They said you could be with your family again. But you turned 'em down, and ya came back down here."_

He was stepping on a nerve now. He felt himself starting to shake. He tried to concentrate on something else, but he couldn't.

"_I just wanna know why. I mean, ya started this little crusade of yours because they got whacked. But they aint good enough for you to end it? You'd rather stay here and spend the rest o' your life killin' fucks like me? Must be some shitty family you got, Castle. Oh sorry, HAD."_

His eyes shot open with rage and he tackled Jigsaw. He was going to fucking die. They tumbled to the ground and he grabbed Saint's neck to choke him. But he felt Saint's foot kick him away. He rolled a stood up again.

"_That's right old man, come on!"_

He charged forward, but Jigsaw turned and pushed him into the steel bars. He was able to keep from hitting himself, but Saint smacked his neck from behind. He heard Saint growl, and he moved out of the way, letting Saint's punch hit the bars. He kicked the fucker in the gut, jack-knifing him.

"_When I'm through with you Saint, you'll be begging for one of those aliens to face-fuck you."_

He grabbed Saint's hair, lifting him up. Nobody insulted his family; living or dead.

* * *

He reached the end of the hallway and once again stood at the intersection of the Wings. Norman and his friend Blanchard were right behind him. He was sure the other Wing was secure, and he had left the others behind in case Castle's group hadn't cleaned up this one. But he wanted to check out Solitary and Death Row. He approached the door and grabbed the handle. It wouldn't budge. It was sealed up tight alright. There was probably nothing to worry about. He turned back to Norman, who was watching his back. He was about to go back into the cell block when he stepped in something. He looked down and saw a growing pool of blood coming from under the door. If Castle could get through the air ducts, the monsters sure could. He tried the handle again, and still it wouldn't budge. He looked back to Norman and Blanchard.

"_Stand back."_

The two moved to either side of the door near the stairs to the upper levels. He stepped back a few feet and fired a repulser blast into the door, which was sent flying inward down the hallway. He quickly ran after it with Norman on his tail. He lifted up the door and saw the half-eaten guard beneath it. He laid the door against the wall and did the same with the guard. Another poor soul. He felt bad leaving the body there, but couldn't think of anything else to do with it. He moved down the hall toward another guard station. The lights were completely blocked out by slime. They got in alright. Shit. He activated the night-vision in his helmet and looked back to see the lights on Norman & Blanchard's guns turn on.

He reached the guard station. Another guard lay against the opposite wall with an alien attached to his face. The monitors were destroyed, and there didn't seem to be any power anyway. He fired into the dead guard with the M-60 he had confiscated from Castle. A few rounds in the chest made sure the little monster wouldn't be growing up. The face-hugger would die soon anyway. No reason to desecrate the dead man's face. He stepped out of the office and into a puddle of slime. He looked up and saw the air vent broken open and covered in the goop. There was their way in.

"_Cover my back."_

The two soldiers nodded. He moved down the hall and came to an intersection. The sign on the wall signaled that Death Row was on the right, & Solitary on the left. He turned left. The ones on Death Row deserved it more. He came to another hallway that moved to the right. The soundproof doors had all been ripped open. The first cell's occupant was dead; no face-hugger. So was the next one. He wanted to kill these things quickly. He didn't want any of them escaping. And he didn't want to leave Castle alone with Jigsaw for very long. He came up to the next cell and saw a monster feeding on a dead inmate. He opened fire and quickly put the monster down. The next cell had what was left of the monster's first meal. And the final cell held an infected inmate. Again, he made sure the monster inside didn't survive.

He looked back and made sure Norman and Blanchard were still following. He walked back toward the intersection & into Death Row, which took a left turn. Cells lined the walls, with the electric chair sitting at the opposite wall about sixty feet away. There weren't any aliens that he could see. But just as before, the cell bars were ripped open and eggs placed inside. He began executing the prisoners just as before. He took the right side of the room. Norman & Blanchard took the left. He reached the final cell and killed the last inmate. He was rethinking his earlier comment. Even those on Death Row didn't deserve this. Being violated by an alien, then having your ribs broken from the inside as the monster emerged. Dying by a mix of the pain, asphyxiation, and drowning in your own blood. At least the chair was meant to be quick. He looked over at the machine these prisoners were meant to die by. He saw some movement behind the chair. Had a guard survived? Norman & Blanchard were still working on the inmates. He moved toward the chair slowly. Suddenly a creature leaped out from behind the chair with a screech. It tackled him to the ground before he could get a shot off, and ran down the hall toward the guard station. He stood up and shouted to Blanchard.

"_Don't let it get away!"_

Blanchard took off down the hallway after it, but was tackled to the ground by another monster! Blanchard screamed before the beast bit his jugular, killing him. It looked up at he and Norman, screeching. He aimed his M-60 and fired. The beast merely shrugged off the heavy fire and leaped onto the bars of the cell next to it. Norman fired heavily, but the monster tackled him as well. He charged forward and pushed the Marauder away before firing his mini-gun at the downed monster. But its tail smacked him into the cell on his right. His head was spinning. Damn, these things were fast. The creature again attacked Norman, killing him. God, not again!

He lunged at the monster, pulling it off of Norman and slamming it against the steel bars, chipping a piece from its armor. He felt its tail come up again and smack him away. That thing was beginning to piss him off. It tackled him this time, trying to bite & claw through the armor. It bit his left arm and began to shake it. He punched it hard across the face with his right to no avail. He fired a repulser blast at the creature, sending it back to smack into the electric chair. If only there were power in it. He fired the M-60 once more, firing his mini-gun simultaneously. Both the Marauder and the chair were ripped to pieces in seconds. He heard the empty chamber in the M-60 click and dropped it as he turned to look at Norman & Blanchard. Both dead. He had failed them. This pain. It must have been what made Castle so tough, and so crazy over the years. But he wasn't about to end up like him. He closed the two soldiers' eyes and swallowed his grief. It was then that he heard the hissing. He turned quickly to see more of the creatures coming up behind him. Don't these things ever stop?!


	25. The Battle for Ryker's Island Part III

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE****  
The Battle For Ryker's Island: Part III**

Damn it! He couldn't believe Jigsaw had gotten hold of that damn card! This is supposed to be a maximum-security prison! And Jigsaw was locked up the Maximum Security Wing! He was running down the stairs toward the Wing intersection. Hopefully War Machine had been able to contain the situation. He didn't need Castle's obsession interrupting his plans. But if Jigsaw had risked life and limb in an alien invasion to get that card, he must be after something big. And _someone_ must have told him about it. You don't just happen across S.H.I.E.L.D.'s biggest secrets.

The other three soldiers were keeping up behind him. They were coming up on the intersection now. Just around this corner. He heard hissing and stopped just before stepping out. He held his hand up for the others to halt. Best case scenario: it was just a creature they missed. Worst case scenario: everyone was dead and the aliens had taken control again. He looked just past the corner. It was a Carrier, just sniffing around. He swung around the corner and took it out. Two rounds to the head dropped it dead. He looked up and noticed the door to Solitary and Death Row was open. If anyone had gotten out of there…

He turned his S.H.I.E.L.D. Specials light on and moved in. He passed the crunched door and a dead guard when suddenly an alien dropped down in front of him! He fired into it, backing up as he did, until it fell to the ground dead. He heard more screeching, along with grunting & mini-gun fire. War Machine! He moved forward and followed the sound to Death Row. War Machine was being swarmed. He moved to the side to allow the other three room to fire & began picking the aliens off one by one. War Machine struggled beneath them. The other three fired along with him, and soon enough War Machine stood up, the last one in hand, and crushed it against the concrete ceiling. He came back down and approached them. He heard burning, and saw smoke rising from War Machine's mini-gun.

"_Aw, Hell."_

War Machine ripped the weapon off his shoulder and threw it into the acid blood pooling on the floor.

"_Glad to see you, Fury."_

"_Likewise. But we've got to block this hole up."_

He led War machine back to the hole in the ceiling. War Machine picked up the door and held it to the ceiling, using his repulsers to weld it over the hole, and came back down.

"_Taken care of."_

"_Good. Now where's Jigsaw?"_

"_In the Max. Wing. Let's go."_

War Machine led the way out and into the Wing. He wondered; should he tell him about Stark? They were obviously friends. No reason Tony would lend out his toughest design to just anybody. Otherwise S.H.I.E.L.D. would have it already. If he told him, it would undoubtedly make him fight harder. But he thought back. War Machine had lost his whole platoon. And those other two guys in Death Row didn't seem to be breathing either. He's probably had enough. They all had. He'd wait.

He arrived and saw the soldiers surrounding something. He pushed his way through and found Castle and Jigsaw fighting. They were on the ground choking each other. God damn it! He fired a round into the ceiling and the commotion stopped. The soldiers quieted down and Castle & Jigsaw looked up at him. He moved in and grabbed Castle in a headlock, backing him away from Jigsaw. War Machine came in and did the same with Saint.

"_That's enough!"_

Castle kept struggling, so he spoke into his ear.

"_I don't give a shit what happened. We need him alive."_

He loosened his grip and Castle broke out. He settled down and walked back to the cells after giving Jigsaw a death glare. War machine let Jigsaw go as well.

"_Alright, Saint. Where's the card?"_

"_I aint got the slightest idea what you're talking about."_

Jigsaw stared at him smugly. He wanted to get this over quick.

"_You know damn well what I'm talking about. The card you stole from the Warden. _

_Where is it?"_

"_Oh, _that _card. Thought you was talkin' about a baseball card or something'."_

Another ugly grin.

"_In that case, you and I are gonna have to make a deal."_

"_What do you want?"_

"_I want a safe house. Somewhere where nobody can touch me. And I wanna walk outta here FOREVER."_

Scum like this made his skin crawl. But if Saint wanted out of here, then he had the advantage of being the only safe way out. But he had no idea where the card was. Having it on him was a safety issue, but he wouldn't risk something happening to it. Hmm…

"_You disgust me."_

"_You're breakin' my heart."_

"_You've got a deal. Now where's the card?"_

Suddenly screeching filled his ears. He looked back to the end of the cell block and saw a horde of aliens heading towards them! He lined up his rifle and moved forward.

"_Fall back and fire at will!"_

The whole cell block erupted in gunfire, shouting, and screeching. The entire group backed up to the hallway. He backed up and found himself next to Castle. He took his eye off the gun sight for a minute.

"_You're coming with me!"_

He led Castle up the stairs to the second level. He pulled one of his Dessert Eagles from his armpit holster and handed it to him.

"_Just keep your sights off Jigsaw. We still need him alive."_

He took the creatures into his sights again and saw Castle move up next to him and fire away.

"_You owe me for this one, Fury."_

"_Just shut your yap and fire."_

Another creature's head ruptured. He fired two rounds into one that was crawling up the wall. The other soldiers below laid down wide suppressing fire just like he'd trained them. He heard the empty chamber click and reached for another magazine, dropping the empty one to the ground. He pulled the new magazine from his belt and pushed it in when he heard a rumble. What the Hell? Another alien crawled up to the second floor, and Castle took it out. He killed another beast on the ground and the gunfire slowed to a stop as the last Xenomorph was killed. He heard another rumble. Closer this time.

"_Castle, what is that?"_

"_Give me another mag. The bitch is back."_

He handed Castle the spare Deagle magazine and pondered the meaning to his statement. Another rumble. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good. He aimed downward at the hallway. A huge crack appeared in the concrete above the hall, and the face of a full-grown Queen burst through, roaring and clawing as it tore through the concrete like tissue paper. Holy shit! He fired at the head as the beast charged forward. He felt Castle push him down to the ground as the giant tail came from nowhere and smashed the cells behind them.

"_Take her out!"_

Another eruption of gunfire. He crawled to the ledge and aimed over it, trying to look for a weak point. It seemed to just shrug off the bullets. He tried to aim for the chest, but it kept swinging around. War Machine flew forward and punched it across the face, sending it reeling away from him.

* * *

Now was his chance for a little payback. The creature had its back toward he and Fury. He hadn't wasted a shot with the new magazine yet. He saw his opening. He stood up on the guard rail and launched himself onto the creature's back. He grabbed onto the big spikes for support. He really was getting too old for this kind of shit. He fired into its back, making small holes. He grabbed onto the spikes again as the creature shook against another punch from War Machine. He looked forward to see War Machine but saw the giant crown instead as it reeled from the blast. The spot on the back of the neck beneath the crown didn't look armored. Again, he held on as the creature swung forward, getting War Machine in its grasp. War Machine was wrenching his way out of the grip. He yelled above the screeching.

"_War Machine! The back of the neck! Give me an opening!"_

"_You got it!"_

War Machine broke the hand open and flew in front of the Queen, out of sight behind the crown. He heard a blast and wrapped himself around the spike as the Queen was blasted backward. When it stopped, the Queen's head was looking downward. Now was his chance. He climbed behind the crown and put his foot against it for balance, taking aim at the sweet spot at the base of the head.

"_This is for Mayfield."_

He fired again and again, emptying his clip into the creature's neck. He kept his foot up, so it couldn't move its head. Finally, the twelve rounds were gone and the Queen started to fall. He jumped to the ground landing in a roll, and ran toward the other soldiers, landing just in time as the bitch fell to the ground, dead. He looked back. The giant maw hung open, drool oozing from it. The hole he had made behind the head was letting out a lot of blood. At least _one_ monster got its due today. Fury came down the stairs.

"_Castle, you're a crazier son-of-a-bitch than I thought you were. Good job. You too War Machine."_

He looked around and saw Jigsaw lying against a cell. He looked unconscious. He noticed Fury wasn't looking & started searching Saint's pockets. Fucker probably had the damn thing on him. And sure enough, he did. In the left chest pocket. He pulled the card out and looked it over. Looked just like a credit card with the S.H.I.E.L.D. eagle on it. Fury walked up to him and snatched it away.

"_I'll take that. Alright, let's move. War Machine, take Jigsaw."_

What? Was Fury out of his mind?

"_Why are we taking this low-life? I say we feed him to the aliens."_

"_I'm a man of my word Castle. We're getting him out of here."_

* * *

He had led everyone back up to the Administration Wing. The secret elevator was behind the warden's secretary's desk & thankfully Jigsaw was still knocked out. He had left the soldiers above and told them to leave with the choppers. They wouldn't need them. He was now standing in front of the door. At least the aliens hadn't found this place. The key slots were on either side of the air-tight door, and the sub was just on the other side. He handed the card to Castle. He didn't trust him, but War Machine's hands were full at the moment. Castle took the card and stood on the right side of the door; he on the left.

"_On my three. One…two…three."_

He slipped his card in & watched Castle do the same. The door hissed as the air was released. He snatched the cards back from the slots and led Castle & War machine onto the platform. The sub was big enough for ten people. Thankfully they didn't need the room. He walked across the platform to the section above the hatch. He bent down and turned the hatch wheel, opened it, and stepped down into the sub. Castle followed and War machine floated in, closing the hatch tightly behind him. He approached the controls and flipped the light switch. He inserted the two cards in the slots on either side of the steering wheel, the controls lit up, and the sub moved forward on its own.

Soon enough they arrived on the Raft. He climbed the ladder and exited first, again followed by Castle, then War Machine. He walked toward the doorway at the back of the dock and the doors slid open before him. The Raft was completely un-manned. Power & directions were transmitted from one of the S.H.I.E.L.D. satellites. He led the two through another doorway past several laser-sealed force-field cells. Finally he found an empty one and stopped.

"_War Machine, if you would?"_

War Machine placed the unconscious super criminal at the center of the cell. He used the small command board in front of it to activate the force-field. He input Jigsaw's name and removed his glove for a hand print scan. The scan matched, and the command board receded into the floor. He put his glove back on and looked at Castle.

"_Just like he said. No one will touch him in here. And he wont be going to Ryker's Island ever again."_

Castle threw a scowl his way.

"_You'll get your chance someday."_

"_You owe me, Fury."_

"_I could just as easily throw you in one of these cells, Castle. I don't owe you a damn thing."_

He walked down the hallway toward the main control room. Shutting off the defenses was just another switch and hand print scan.

"_War Machine, you got a clock behind that mug?"_

"_Seven a.m. Colonel."_

It looked like he'd be calling in the cavalry a little early. Victory was on the horizon. He could feel it. This madness was almost over. These ugly bastards were about to learn the hard way what happens when you fucked with Earth.

* * *

_Author's Note: Well here we are again. I realized I had to cut it down into two chapters. But at least you got two at once! Finally the Fury/Punisher/War Machine team-up is over. I'm sure you're all a bit tired of it by now. I know I am. I was literally up until 4:30 in the morning finishing these two chapters. So if you see any problems (grammar, broken sentences, things that don't make sense, etc.) PLEASE tell me and I will fix them immediately. Again, thanks for reading. And thanks to "eav" for giving me something negative for once! If you have any way for me to improve it, please let me know! Not sarcasm! Anyway, you can still check out the posters I've done for the story. Just go to deviantart (.com, because they won't let me post links) and search _AVMU Poster_. You should get all of them as results. So, yeah. I hope you've enjoyed the story somewhat so far, and don't forget to send comments. I'm completely drained, so I'll be taking a break for a while and I'll have plenty of time to look over anything you send me. Thanks again for reading and see you next time!  
_


	26. Come All Ye Faithful

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX  
Come All Ye Faithful**

He woke up to the sound of a Russian voice. Black Widow's voice. He stirred for a moment before sitting up. He was apparently laying on a military cot. Anything else would have been more comfortable. He stretched, cracking a few joints and stretching a few worn muscles. He opened his ears a bit more and heard soldiers shouting orders, children crying, vehicles moving by… He focused on his heart beat to calm down, rubbing his forehead. He scratched his shoulder and realized he still had the S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform on. He remembered climbing out of the water after Namor saved them, and being led into a small military shack to rest. He had no idea how long he had been asleep. He yawned and heard stress in Black Widow's voice. She was in the next room with the door closed. He listened hard.

"_Did everyone get out alright? Damn. At least some survived."_

She must have been talking to someone over her mic. He couldn't quite pick up the other voice, but he assumed it must be Fury.

"_Yes Colonel. But we need a pick-up. Our chopper went down when we blew the bridge. Very well, sir. We'll be waiting. Widow out."_

He heard the conversation end and realized he had been slowly sneaking toward the door. He quickly sat back down on the cot just before she entered the room.

"_I see you're awake. Sleep well?"_

He rubbed his neck. Partly as an innocence reflex, and partly because of the discomfort.

"_Not bad. But if the aliens don't kill me, these cots will."_

He heard her laugh slightly, followed by the soft padding of her shoes on the ground coming toward him. He felt the cot shift with her weight as she sat down next to him. His thoughts fell on Mrs. Parker and her aunt.

"_Are the Parkers alright?"_

"_We moved them to the medical college on the island. Nothing serious. They should be fine after a good nights rest."_

"_Good. So, what's King Namor doing here anyway?"_

"_Fury asked him to help contain the creatures from escaping into the ocean. Thankfully, he accepted."_

Being alone with Natasha, his former girlfriend, was causing that familiar awkwardness he felt back at S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ to creep up on him again.

"_So, how have you been Natasha?"_

"_Aside from the aliens invading, same as always. Taking out would-be terrorists, spying for Fury, trying to either hold down or hold off relationships."_

"_Hasn't gotten any easier for me, either. But, I guess that's the struggle you face when you choose to be a hero."_

"_I didn't exactly choose to become a spy, Matthew. I was manipulated."_

"_Well, you chose to go back to it. We had a nice new life in San Francisco."_

"_You couldn't treat me like an equal. Whether in the house or on the battlefield it's still _

_demeaning. I made the choice I had to."_

She stood up from the cot and crossed back to the wall next to the door. He could hear anger rising in her voice now. Well, he had just as much a right to be angry. He stood up.

"_Well can you blame me for caring about you? Elektra died because I couldn't protect her. I didn't want the same thing to happen to you!"_

"_I've been taking care of myself decades before I met you! I'm not a helpless little girl!"_

"_I know! But I can't help it. It's a guy thing. And I've never… been much for relationships."_

He hadn't wanted their talk to go this way, but there wasn't much he could do now. His anger had subsided. He knew it had been his fault they had broken up years ago. He missed her.

"_I suppose that makes two of us."_

Her voice had become soft again. There was a dead silence in the air between them for at least a minute. She was a spy. She could handle tension like this. Which explains why he had to break the silence.

"_Do you… do you ever miss it? Us?"_

"_Of course I do, Matthew. You're a sweet, strong man. But we just aren't right for each other."_

"_Yeah. In the end, we're just looking for different people. But at least we enjoyed the time we had, right?"_

He heard her footsteps approaching again. Before he could react he felt her arms move over his shoulders and felt her warm breath as she pressed her lips against his. He moved his arms along her back and returned the short kiss. She broke it.

"_I'll take that as a yes."_

He heard her laugh again. He laughed with her. As much as he would have liked to stay in the moment, his hearing picked up footsteps coming from outside the tent. She must have heard it too, because they removed themselves from each other at the same moment. She backed away a few steps, and he sat back down on the cot. Hopefully it wasn't a transparent door. He heard the footsteps get closer and finally, the door opened. From the tough voice, it was Luke.

"_Hey, Widow. We got a S.H.I.E.L.D. assault chopper comin' in. What's goin' on?"_

"_I received a transmission from Colonel Fury a few minutes ago. We're moving out _

_ahead of schedule."_

With the door open, he could hear the faint rumblings of a helicopter. He heard Natasha walk past Luke out of the shack, probably to meet the chopper. He heard the door close behind her.

"_Murdock, you playa'."_

He couldn't help but blush at that statement. But he still tried to play innocent. He was a

lawyer, he couldn't help it.

"_What do you mean?"_

"_You got her red lipstick all over yo' mouth. Don't tell me you didn't get some of that."_

He wiped his mouth on his sleeve roughly.

"_Just a relic from times long passed."_

"_Yeah, whatever heartbreaker. Let's go."_

He followed Luke out the door toward the quickly-growing sound of the helicopter. The noise increased as they neared, but it wasn't as loud as the other had been. Then again, Luke did say it was an assault helicopter. It was probably silenced as much as possible for stealth missions. He climbed into the chopper and sat down on the side opposite the door. He didn't feel any other soldiers, and his hearing only picked up three other heartbeats. One was Luke's and the other was Natasha's. The third must have been the pilot. He felt a bit bad that he wouldn't be able to say goodbye to the Parkers. But at least they were in good hands. He felt Luke tap his shoulder and hand him a pair of headphones. He slid the headset on, and the noise was almost completely shut out, replaced with low radio chatter. He lifted the microphone to his mouth.

"_So what's the plan?"_

Natasha replied, the curve of her voice barely hidden by the radio.

"_Fury's plan was for everyone to meet at Ryker's Island by noon. But his transmission said we were moving out ahead of schedule, so we're playing pick-up. We're going after the Predator, Venom, and Deadpool."_

He remembered the meeting, and how those three were put together. Wolverine had taken the other two X-Men back home. There was the group across the river fighting. The Vision and Hank Pym were sent to Avengers Mansion to work out a way to defeat the aliens. And he had been teamed with Natasha and Luke. But that still left the last group.

"_What about Spider-Man, Iron Man, and the Fantastic Four?"_

Natasha sighed deeply before speaking. Her voice was filled with sadness.

"_They're… they're gone. They were all inside the Baxter Building when it detonated several hours ago. We don't know what caused the explosion, but there were no survivors."_

Luke responded.

"_My God…"_

Luke had practically read his mind. Such a horrible thing. So many heroes killed because of these things. These monsters. He remembered the last time he had spoken to Spider-Man. It was during the meeting, when he had given him the message for Mrs. Parker. It pained him that such a good, caring soul was lost, now and forever. Natasha's voice came over the mic again.

"_Suck it up, boys. They died and honorable soldier's death. They did their duty. Now it's time we do ours."_

Her words were cold, but his super-hearing picked up the faint shake in her voice. She was just as sad as he and Luke were. But all the years of her work had hardened her. And she was right. They all still had a job to do; kick these aliens off the planet for good. For them. He swallowed his grief as best he could, and felt the helicopter take off. He suddenly didn't feel so bad about not saying goodbye to Mrs. Parker and her aunt. They seemed so close to Spider-Man. He didn't think he could have held the information from them, but he didn't want to make them feel the pain he did. Natasha spoke again.

"_I've picked up the signal from Deadpool's helicopter. We should find it soon."_

As the helicopter swung to the left, back toward the inner city, he turned his thoughts toward the other three warriors. He hoped they had made it, for the cause of getting rid of the aliens, if nothing else.

* * *

And we're back, folks! Just in time for another exciting alien battle! Deadpool mused to himself as he decapitated another monster with his alien-proof sword, Lefty. Venom swung another alien around, and he had to dodge low to avoid it. While sitting in the slime, he noticed another egg had survived their attack. He pulled his Uzi from his belt holster and blew it apart. He lifted himself back up and heard footsteps behind him. He spun around, firing the Uzi in that awesome way that should be shown in slow-motion. One of the aliens that was sneaking up on him hit the ground like a ton of bricks. The other one hit _him_ like a ton of bricks. It stood on top of him, leaking spit from it's mouth. He punched it across its area-that-resembled-a-face and kicked it backward off of him, firing the Uzi at the same time. He stood up again and looked back at Venom & Hunter. Venom webbed an alien to the wall, before using another's corpse to smash it. Now why hadn't he thought of that? Oh right. No super strength. Or webs. Or giant, slithery tongue.

Anyway, he looked over at Hunter now. He fired his laser cannon thing at another alien on the ceiling, frying it and dropping it. He looked around and made sure there were no other aliens left, and leaned against the wall next to the ladder. He looked up and noticed that the manhole was open. Which was probably how the aliens attacked them from above. He heard a nasty, slimy sound to his right and looked down. There was an egg opening up right next to him. He scooted a few feet away along the wall to avoid the splatter, and nonchalantly tore it apart with the Uzi. Venom and Hunter had finished with their aliens and finally calmed down.

"_Well, that was fun. Any more of those creepy-crawlies down here?"_

Hunter opened that wrist-computer thing again. He really needed to get one of those. The computer started ringing.

"_Is that a yes?"_

He waited for an answer, but Venom & Hunter just stared at him. He heard the ringing again, and was beginning to wonder if it was just in his head. It rang again, and he suddenly felt something vibrate in his pocket. Oh, duh. He reached into his pocket, hoping he hadn't accidentally taken his ex-girlfriend's favorite toy. He sighed in slight relief as he lifted his cell phone to his face. He looked past the device to his impatience pair of predatory pals.

"_I'll just… take this."_

He turned around and flipped the phone open. He spoke the cheery tagline he had forced himself to memorize.

"_Yello? Deadpool's hit-man hotline!"_

But the voice on the other end was far from cheerful. And kinda familiar.

"_Wilson! Where the Hell are you?!"_

"_Cable? WHEN the Hell are YOU?"_

"_It's Fury, you numbskull!"_

"_What about Fury?"_

"_No, I'M Fury!"_

The hamster-powered gears in his mind started turning. He liked hamsters. Except for the whole mom-eats-the-kids thing. Wait, stay on target!

"_Oh yeah! Colonel Fury! What's up?"_

"_Why didn't you take a headset radio with you?"_

"_It clashed with my mask!"_

"_Jesus… Just get back to your helicopter!"_

"_Okay…"_

He paused and looked back at Venom & Hunter.

"_Do you want Venom and…"_

"_YES Venom & the Predator too! Jesus!"_

He heard the click as the call ended. He pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at the information. Only took about thirty-five seconds. He smiled under his mask, realizing he had Nick Fury's cell phone number. Cool. He giddily hit the redial button and held the phone to his ear. He couldn't believe he was going to crank call Nick… His thoughts were interrupted by a heavy electrical shock coursing through his body. As he shook with the painful, burning charge, he thought that this must be how the phone feels on vibrate. He quickly shut the phone, making a mental note to delete that number, and changed it to ring only.

"_I feel your pain."_

He crooned the inanimate object as he slid it back into his pocket. He turned around back toward his partners. Venom licked himself eagerly. Wow, that was a place even HIS brain didn't want to go. Made even worse when Venom spoke.

"_What was that?"_

Deadpool shook off the horrible thoughts and brought himself back to the conversation.

"_What? Oh yeah. That was Fury. He said to 'GET TO THE CHOPPA!"_

He stared at the unresponsive pair.

"_Nothing? Really? Nobody saw that movie?"_

Venom replied.

"_What movie?"_

He thought hard to himself. A few seconds ago it was on the tip of his tongue.

"_I… I don't know."_

He stared upward to the ceiling in frustration.

"_Damn you for writing it out of my mind! No, don't you dare cut me off!"_

_

* * *

_

He looked on for a few moments more as the red-clad fool looked down at the floor, somewhat defeated. He was a skilled warrior, but that didn't change the fact that he was very strange. Taking his strangely-accented statement as truth, he returned his attention to his computer. There were no further Xenomorph readings. He couldn't guarantee they had killed them all, as these things have a nasty habit of surviving, but they had done the best they could. At least they had been given help with the eggs at the reservoir by the Sea-human. He didn't think humans could survive underwater. Then again, he had come into contact with several genetic anomalies these past few hours.

He activated the tracer he had placed earlier in their air transport, Deadpool's apparent 'choppa.' The reading was quite clear. It was ahead of them by several miles. He closed the view screen, walked past Deadpool, & climbed up the ladder to the surface. It would be good to see the light again. He reached the surface and lifted himself easily onto the ground. Deadpool followed, with Venom behind him. There were vehicles scattered all along the roadway. He looked toward the direction of their transport. The way was clear aside from the vehicles creating small barricades at the intersecting roadways. He pointed toward the transport & turned toward Venom. He spoke with his deep, mask-translated voice.

"_Scout ahead."_

Venom leaped high into the air and deployed a swing-line, swinging forward through the air at great speed. He began to run, following his fellow hunter as best he could. He heard Deadpool's frantic running behind him. Even as old as he was, he could still outrun this planet's greatest warriors. And to think the High Council had simply kept him locked away in that damned asylum. All those years, toiling away keeping watch over their abominable pets. He leaped over one of the smaller vehicles barring his path and continued forward without breaking from his thoughts. He had seen the atrocities they could commit; the horror they could bring to all creation. Yet those power-drunken fools relished it, using it as an argument against him. "The greatest monsters spawn the greatest hunters" they said. And though he could not argue that point, or complain of the benefits he and his kin had received, he believed it was simply too high a price to pay. To be truly great was to be truly cursed. He would have to remember that. It would make a good proverb. He looked ahead & realized he would soon be upon another barricade. But none of these vehicles were low enough to leap over unaided. He slowed his pace and found himself even with Deadpool.

"_Slowing down, old dude?"_

He responded by silently pulling his spear from its holster and extended it. As he approached the vehicles he quickened his pace and slammed one end of the weapon into the ground, vaulting himself over the vehicle. He landed in a roll and continued running, back at his original speed. He didn't bother looking back for Deadpool. Impudent brat.

He soon came upon Venom, waiting for him before another barricade. He stopped before his comrade, breathing hard. Venom placed a clawed finger before his lips for silence. He led him to look over the vehicles. Their transport was surrounded by Xenomorphs. They were creating a nest around the vehicle. One Carrier, two Marauders, and six Drones. They had eliminated the Queen in the sewers, so these must be from the main hive.

If they could get the drop on them, this shouldn't take more than a few seconds. His cannon needed time to recharge, so he pulled his disc from its place on his belt and concentrated on it. Hopefully he could will the disc to curve around and kill all of them in a single attack. Then the eggs would be a simple matter. He targeted the creatures using the system in his mask. But a sound came from behind him: frantic footsteps. Before he could react he heard a blade being unsheathed and saw Deadpool leaping over one of the lower cars, sword drawn, and screaming a battle cry of some sort.

"_MORTAL KOMBAT!"_

Deadpool landed amidst the creatures, obscuring his view and ruining his concentration. Damn it! He was about to leap over the vehicles when he felt Venom grasp his arm.

"_Don't worry about him, he'll be fine."_

He looked toward Deadpool as the mad man made his blows against the creatures in-tune with a strange song. He was doing well. With this knowledge he turned to face the creature as it spoke to him.

"_Is your race coming here to Earth?"_

He nodded. At least, he believed a ship would be dispatched to retrieve him.

"_Would it be possible to accompany you?"_

He let Venom's words sink in. Accompany him?

"_We want to leave this place, and seek out these Xenomorphs among the stars. We want nothing less than to hunt them down and destroy them all; erase every trace of them from the universe. And with your technology, we could do just that."_

It was a strange request. He had seen Venom's skills. He was perfectly capable of fighting this scourge and, it seemed he had the will to match his own. And his mate held the same contempt for them that he had. They could all do it together. But it would be difficult to get Venom aboard the ship, what with the protocols… the protocols. The High Council. For even suggesting such an act as to destroy their precious quarry would be to invite their wrath, and his banishment. He wanted these creatures destroyed, but was it worth rebelling against his race? He pondered the question as Deadpool, tackled by a Marauder, landed on the vehicle next to them. It seemed to be choking the life out of him. He spoke in a smaller, higher-pitched voice.

"_A little help here?"_

He would have plenty of time to consider it more. For now, he laid the subject to rest and attacked the marauder, bladed disc drawn.

* * *

With Hunter occupied with helping Deadpool, they leaped over the truck and attacked the remaining Xenomorphs. Deadpool had only managed to kill two drones and the Carrier and two Drones. Ah well. The time they had taken to ask Hunter their question was well worth it. They spied a Drone lurking to their right and looked up in time to see the second Marauder leap toward them. They extended a tendril forward and yanked the Marauder out of the air, slamming it down on the Drone. With Spider-Man dead, there was no more reason to stay here. They were ready to move on; to seek out these beasts and kill them. Kill them all! They licked their jaws at the idea.

They heard Hunter's cannon go off and saw the other Marauder knocked, headless, into the building to their right. They grew more and more excited. They felt a claw grasp their leg and saw the two Xenomorphs still alive. They webbed the crawling creatures to the ground and began to beat them savagely. They would enjoy doing _this_ for the rest of their days. But they felt their fists were un-fitting. They looked to their right at the car next to them. An ugly brown four-seater. It would not be missed. And they were far enough from the helicopter. They sank their claws into the steel of the hood and engine, lifted it up, and slammed it down on the two helpless monsters again and again until al that was left was a pool of acid and a mangled frame.

They looked over at Hunter, who was about to carve the other two drones to pieces, when they heard a blast. Not like an explosion, but more like a high-powered gun. The Xenomorphs fell to the ground, dead. They heard more blasts and watched as the eggs seemed to pop before them. When they were all dispatched they looked up to see another helicopter. And leaning out of it was a woman in a tight black uniform with flaming red hair holding a large rifle. The Black Widow. She placed the rifle back inside the helicopter and waved her hand out.

"_Let's go! Move out!"_

They climbed into the chopper after Deadpool, with Hunter following them. The helicopter roared to life and rose into the sky, leveling with the Black Widow. They placed a headset on to hear her speak.

"_We're heading out to the Raft. Follow our lead and we can finish this."_

"_Roger that, sexy lady!"_

Deadpool. What a moron. But he was not wrong. The human part of them found her attractive. But their thoughts turned as her helicopter did, obscuring their view and leading them East. Toward the Hudson River, where their prey's hive floated. They turned back toward Hunter. Hopefully he would answer their question soon. But for now, they calmed their thoughts for the battle ahead.

Soon enough, the two helicopters, joined by a third, hovered over the smooth flat deck of the Raft. They opened the sliding door and looked out over the river toward the hive. The black heart at the center of the metropolis. They looked down and saw three large wires sitting on the helicopter platform. They looked over at the Black Widow, who motioned toward the headset. They placed the device back over their ears and listened. It was that hack, Fury.

"_Venom?"_

"_Yes. What do you want?"_

"_Spare me the bad-boy bullshit. Namor's got the underwater situation in hand, so we don't have to worry about any more aliens getting off that ball. Your job is to attach those lines on the chopper platform to all three helicopters. We're going to drag the hive to the Raft and try to dock it here, so we have a level playing field. Once that's done, we're takin' these things out. Copy."_

"_Yesss."_

They removed the headset again & crawled to the underside the of the helicopter, attaching a web line. They traveled down their line to the platform and, and dragged one of the heavy wires up. They found a hook and attached the wire before descending again and doing the same for the third helicopter, and again for the Black Widow's chopper. He was about to crawl up and inside when Widow leaned over and spoke.

"_Stay down there. We need you to attach the lines to the hive."_

And stay they did. Their excitement was mounting quickly. They anticipated killing the creatures, and these menial tasks were testing their patience. The helicopters hovered over the giant slime ball, and they dug holes into the solid goop, grafting the lines there with a mixture of his own webbing, and the fresh slime. They looked up toward Black Widow and gave a thumbs-up. They immediately felt the hive being pulled forward. They balanced themselves on the rock and licked their lips in anticipation once again, rubbing their claws together as well. They almost couldn't contain their excitement!

After a few agonizingly-slow minutes, the hive made contact with the Raft. They leapt on to the surface of the giant craft as several large harpoons rose from the edges and fired into the slime, cementing the hold between the two masses. The helicopters landed on the opposite end of the massive deck and the other characters joined them. With Black Widow was Luke Cage & Daredevil. The third helicopter contained probably fifteen soldiers. They fidgeted with anticipation as a hatch opened up at the center of the deck. Fury, War Machine, and the Punisher emerged.

"_Alright ladies I'll keep this short and save the victory speech for later. You've all done good so far. But all our efforts this morning lead up to this. I was saving this information, but I thought you all should know now. Spider-Man, Iron Man, Ben Grimm, and the Richards family were lost this morning. The Baxter Building detonated for unknown reasons, and they were apparently killed in the blast."_

Fury allowed a moment of silence for it to sink in to those unaware.

_But now's not the time for grieving. Now's the time to finish what we started… what they died for… and wipe these ugly fuckers off the face of the Earth. Let's do it!"_

Fury & Castle raised their rifles, and War Machine raised his hands, which glowed with energy. Fury & Castle fired grenades while War Machine used repulser blasts. When the smoke cleared, a huge hole stood in the side of the hive. Screeching and screaming could be heard inside. The sun, which now sat high in the sky at close to ten o' clock, was obscured by the dark storm clouds from the night before. The air was clear and lighting perfect. They cracked their neck, licked their fangs, and stretched their claws to their deadliest. The final battle was at hand!

* * *

_Author's Note: Hey everybody! Thanks for tuning in once again. I know I said I was taking a break, but I couldn't help myself. This is the big round-up chapter before the brawl. The (relative) calm before the storm. And we're coming down to the end. I estimate there to be at least three more chapters after this one. And you can be sure these next two will be straight-up hard-core action! This is one of my longer chapters, so I hope you all make it to the bottom to read this. Don't forget to tell me your thoughts by reviewing. Good and bad, I want to hear it all! And as most of you know, being writers yourselves, feedback always helps. And in my case, helps me get the story out faster! So go ahead and show your spirit in your comments. And don't forget to check out my posters (if you haven't already). Just go to www dot deviantart dot com and search AVMU Poster. Thank you all. Until next time!  
_


	27. The Final Battle

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN  
The Final Battle  


* * *

**_Author's Note: Hey everybody. Really sorry about the wait for this one. Chapter 26's incursion screwed up my vacation, and Thanksgiving left me completely wiped out. So I'd really appreciate reviews just so I know you're still there. I was up until about 4 finishing this, so it may or may not have a few errors. But I'd like to hear about them! Good and bad! Reviews get the chapters out faster, no matter what they say! So, yeah. Thanks to all/any of you for sticking around. And enjoy!_

* * *

At last, he could complete his mission. With the wall blown open, the Xenomorphs came spilling out on the deck of their craft. He extended his blades and raised his spear to attack. Two immediately fell to his blades, and his spear impaled another. He fired his plasma-caster, killing three more. He saw another attacking from his right, and spun his leg backward through the air, breaking the beast's neck with the impact. A tale came at him from another direction, but he parried it with his spear and used the plasma-caster to destroy the offender. But he didn't have time for this squabble. He had more important matters to attend to inside the Hive.

He turned toward the other warriors. Those with only projectile weapons fell back to fight from a distance. The others were engaged in hand-to-claw combat just as he was. He looked toward Venom, who used his webbing to gather up several Xenomorphs before swinging them around at the others like a ball-and-chain. Their numbers were low for the moment. Perhaps the Queen had not expected an attack. He quickly approached Venom as he finished flailing the gathered Xenomorphs.

"_Venom! There are more important matters to attend to inside the Hive. Follow me."_

"_Fine. As long as we can kill more of them."_

He silently nodded to his comrade as he led the way into the Hive. If what he feared was correct, it would indeed be a challenge to face down their most savage opponents yet. He opened his computer & scanned the structure. The upper sections were an endless catacomb of tunnels. But the bottom was a wide open space; the Queen's chamber. He memorized the route he would take and closed the computer. Camouflage would do no good against the Xenomorphs. Their mild telepathic wavelength would expose him without even being seen. Hopefully the other Earthling warriors could continue the battle at least until he killed the Queen. Venom followed him as they proceeded deeper into the Hive.

* * *

"_And that's fifteen down. Beatrix Kiddo, eat your heart out. Waaaaah!"_

He posed himself in crane-style after beheading another Xenomorph. He looked around. There weren't any left! He looked at Cage, Daredevil, and War Machine as they finished up with their aliens too. Fury, Castle, and that sssssmokin' Black Widow were hanging out at the back, giving everyone cover fire with those nameless red-shirt soldiers. He saw Venom take off with Hunter into the Hive. Was it just him, or were those two becoming a bit more than 'friends'? He didn't take Venom for the _fabulous_ type. But then again, he has spent half his life chasing a guy in tight spandex around town, while wearing the same suit said spandex-wearer once had. He raised his hand to his chin. Hmmm… the pieces were coming together. But then again, this is all hypothetical. And he would hypothetically feel bad for Venom; having to do the tough-guy routine all the time to hide.

Suddenly he looked around at everyone else. If he had been thinking this, everyone else must be too! He didn't want the guy outed like this! Sure, he's got a giant ugly tongue and a homicidal nature, but he still didn't deserve that. He headed toward the Hive entrance where he saw Hunter and Venom enter. If he followed them, it would make it look like another team-effort! That should cover things up. As he walked toward the giant ugly hole, he heard Fury call out to him.

"_Wilson! Where d'you think you're going?"_

Had his plan been discovered? Fury wasn't stupid. So maybe acting stupid will confuse him!

"_Uh… I just gotta go help Venom and homo I mean Hunter kill the… gays I mean eggs inside the hole I mean Hive. Yeah."_

Before Fury could say anything he ran inside. Yes! Now at worst Fury would think he was a homophobe. But of course he wasn't. He loved gay people! Nope nope, wrong choice of words. As he ran through the tunnel he looked around for Venom and Hunter. He slowed down a bit as he realized, he couldn't find them.

"_Guys?"_

No answer. Just that traditional ominous echo. He looked back, and found himself staring at three different tunnels, none of which he recognized.

"_Aw, crap."_

* * *

He was trying to regulate his breathing. He didn't want to run out of energy too quickly. That was probably just the first wave. He reconnected his batons to form his staff. He had heard Hunter, Venom, and then Deadpool go inside the Hive. He hoped they knew what they were doing. He heard Luke bouncing on the tips of his feet like a boxer waiting for the next round. But there was something odd about the sound. Didn't sound like steel or iron. He listened hard for Fury's voice and called back to him.

"_Colonel! What's this deck made of?"_

"_Wakanda's key export: vibranium. Toughest stuff on earth. Don't worry about it."_

That was a relief. Beneath this deck were some of the world's most dangerous super-criminals. They didn't need stray alien blood setting them free. Luke sounded alright. And he didn't hear any problems with War Machine either. Finally he heard the screeching again. Slowly increasing in volume. He readied himself and heard the first step onto the deck as Luke spoke.

"_Yeah! Come get some!"_

He ran forward into the fray of sound, finding his first target as it roared and slashed at him. He dropped to the ground and spun his legs, dropping his target. He heard the tail scrape against the ground and quickly sidestepped it before jamming his staff into the creature's neck. Footsteps on his right alerted him to another attacker, but the sound of a hard punch cancelled the thought. He felt Luke grab his staff.

"_Go for a spin?"_

He smiled and grabbed both ends of the staff as Luke easily swung him through the air. He braced both his feet into kicking positions, colliding with several aliens. He focused on Luke to avoid getting dizzy. The spin slowed down and he let his feet down to start walking. Luke released him and he made a running high-kick into another alien. There were considerably fewer of them now. He heard War Machine's mechanical punches slow to a stop. Another alien attacked him from behind. He side-stepped the charge and fired his baton into the back of the creature's skull, forcing it to the ground. He kicked the back of its elongated skull hard and broke its neck.

He turned back toward the hive and heard another heading straight for him. He ran toward it, meeting its charge. As he expected, it raised its clawed hand to slash at him. He spun to his right to avoid the claw, colliding with its chest. His right shoulder was beneath its mouth so it couldn't bite him, and he grabbed the bicep of its right arm with his left. He had to work quickly, so he began smashing his right elbow into the alien's head, attempting to knock it out. He didn't think he had to the strength to break its neck, and his jabs didn't seem to be hurting it. What could he do? He heard the flick of the creature's tail moving through the air and quickly grabbed the opposite side of its head. He hoped this would work. He forced the creature to turn its head to the left, putting the back of it over his chest, before moving to the alien's left. The tail came up and skewered the back of its own head. He quickly pushed away from the creature as he heard the blood begin to drip from its cranium. He heard it sizzle against the deck for a few second before becoming inert; its chemical energy absorbed by the vibranium. He focused his ears, and heard nothing but the heartbeats of his associates. What a workout. He once again tried to focus his breathing and calm his heart rate. He heard Luke come up behind him and slap him on the back.

"_Nice job."_

"_Thanks. You too."_

He heard gunshots & bullets flying past them, followed by quick footsteps and War Machine's voice.

"_Cage, watch your back!"_

He heard another hiss and heard Luke's feet shift to look behind him. He had been too focused on his breathing to notice another much larger alien heading toward them. He heard the tail move through the air and smash into the side of Luke's head. He instinctually rolled away from the spot. He heard War Machine speak as he ran toward him.

"_Daredevil watch… ah!"_

War Machine had been hit by one as well. He didn't hear Luke's voice or any movement. He knew Luke's skin couldn't be broken, so it must have knocked him out. Shit! He stood up from his roll and heard the creature roar as it approached him. He went for his batons to defend, but they were gone! They must have slipped out during his roll. He couldn't dodge or block, and he couldn't fight this Marauder head-on! He heard Natasha come from behind him.

"_Daredevil!"_

He felt her form jump over him and heard her heel smack into the creature's face. He stood up and felt Natasha hand him his batons. He nodded in thanks and felt her grab his wrist. She rolled over his back and landed a downward kick to the monster's head. He heard the tail flying toward him and opened his batons into their nunchaku, and wrapped the wire around the tail before roundhouse-kicking the creature. He heard Natasha move past him to the creature's left side and raise her leg to cross-kick its chest. He heard the impact, followed by a loud crack and Natasha's gasp in pain. He pulled the tail and put his boot into the monster's face again before letting go of it and kicking it away. He knelt down and felt her leg as she lay on the ground. It was broken.

"_Blin! It caught my leg and broke it. Son of a bitch!"_

He stood up again and ran toward the Marauder. That bastard was going to die! He fired his baton at the creature, but it caught it! He felt the line jerk and was pulled forward. He couldn't match its strength, and felt its clawed hand against his chest, smashing him to the ground. He heard the familiar whip of the tail, but couldn't roll away! He felt the end of the tail spear through his right calf muscle, and screamed.

"_Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"_

He felt the monster's hot breath on his face as it pulled the tail out and screeched. The pain was awful. He could barely breath, barely think! His heartbeat boomed in his ears as he waited for the tail, or something, to come down and end his misery. But he heard a blast. Not like a gunshot, but like an energy blast, and the Marauder was flung off of him. He heard War Machine's metallic footsteps come toward him. Thank God. War Machine lifted him up and walked him back to where Fury & Castle sat.

"_He's got a bad leg. Medic!"_

Fury's voice was getting fuzzy. He was passing out again. Damn it. His radar was blurring. He felt War Machine's hands leave him, and he reached out, finding his armor.

"_Is she alright?"_

"_She'll be fine. Just get some rest now."_

He felt the medic's clumsy hands moving over his wound, and mustered his strength to lift his leg so the soldier could handle it better. He heard War Machine's boots again and felt Natasha lay down next to him.

"_Are you okay?"_

"_Yeah. I've had broken legs before."_

"_Thanks for coming to help me."_

"_No problem."_

He felt his sleeve being rolled up, followed by a cotton swab and a needle. Morphine. Thank God.

* * *

Damn! First they lose those three lunatics, now Luke, Daredevil, and Black Widow. He set her down gently next to Daredevil and took off again toward the front line. He'd have to fight on his own from now on. He had killed those two Marauders, but that last repulser blast drained him. He only had enough power left to fight hand-to-hand. And more of them emerged from the Hive. Don't these things ever stop?! One of them tried to leap on to him, but he moved forward and grabbed its tail, swinging it around into the others. Another one tried to stab him with its tail, but he brushed it aside with his forearm and punched the monstrosity out. Two more tackled him to the ground, but he was able to kick them back off. He felt a tail wrap around his waist from behind, and was lifted into the air before being slammed back to the ground. He grabbed the tail and returned the favor, smashing the alien to the deck. He unwrapped himself from the tail and threw the corpse into the next oncoming bunch. Hopefully he wouldn't have to keep this up for long.

* * *

His sensors showed that there weren't very many Xenomorphs left in the Hive. Hopefully that meant there would be minimal security around the Queen's chamber. They didn't have much further to go now. They had been walking for some time. They had been silent since they had entered, until Venom spoke.

"_You seem to know a lot about these things. So how did this thing end up here?"_

He recalled the events in his mind. He had been the Warden of a small planetoid where they kept several Xenomorph Queens for breeding. And the more he saw of their ferocity, the more he knew they were dealing with a monster too powerful to contain. And he had been right.

He had sent a patrol group out on a routine check of the planetoid. There was a strangely-large construct that he wanted investigated. The patrol did not return. So he took another patrol along with him to investigate the strange growth personally. They landed and moved inside the Hive just as he was doing now. Hundreds of Xenomorphs must have created it. As they found the center, they found the previous patrol's ship buried at the bottom of the Hive. It was then that they were ambushed. The drones came from all sides. Though his comrades fought valiantly, there were too inexperienced to fight such a mass of Xenomorphs. Unable to kill all of them himself, he hid, using his camouflage. The creatures, with their inferior intellect, assumed the threat had been neutralized and dragged his comrades into the bowels of the Hive. It was then that he saw the Queen. He watched as she bent down to the buried patrol ship, and activated it. He couldn't see exactly what she was doing from his vantage point, but she quickly left after a few moments. He approached the craft and realized: she had set it to self-detonate!

He had only moments to escape, and he did so. Questions of how and why ran through his mind as his legs ran through the soft dirt of the planetoid back to his ship. He was able to take off in time to see the explosion. But it did not destroy the Hive. Rather, it launched it from the planetoid like a ship. It was then that he knew why. Many Queens preferred to spawn their own Hive. And the 'how' was simple enough to decipher. These creatures, particularly the Queens, were known to have an excellent learning curve. If she had witnessed so many patrols coming and going, it was possible that she could learn to understand the controls. But still, she was too smart to have been a normal subject. Something or someone was behind her abnormal intelligence. Without rations, he took off in pursuit. He knew if he did not follow then, he would never catch up to it. He secured his weaponry and placed himself in cryo-sleep and left the ship to pursue the target on its own.

"_Well?"_

He came back from his memories. Those memories that, not long ago, had been happening in front of him.

"_Unimportant. We must find the Queen and kill her. That is all that matters."_

He didn't want to tell the story for fear of compromising their position. And Venom did not need to know the inner working of his race. He came upon another corner and stopped, flattening himself against the wall. He assumed Venom had done the same. He activated his camouflage and quickly looked around the corner. At last, the Queen's chamber. He did not see any guards, but he knew they were here, somewhere. He pulled his head back into the hallway and readied his disc. He took one last look with his thermal scanner. For all he knew, this Queen had developed offspring with adaptive camouflage. His reading showed no Xenomorphs, but he noticed two parts on the wall, one on either side of the chamber's entrance. They didn't match the pattern of the rest of the wall. And they were somewhat warmer. After another checking glance, he moved out from the safety of the hallway toward the spots. He knew it could be a trap, but they were moving ahead either way. Better to face it head-on.

As he approached the spot closest to him, on the left side, he finally realized what he was looking at. A victim adhered to the wall. But not a human victim. He recognized them both as the first patrol he had sent out. His suspicions had been correct. As if on cue, he heard the horrible low-pitched chirping from above.

* * *

Another clip ran dry and he dropped it to the deck for a replacement. As he returned his one good eye to the site, an alien drone appeared not five feet from him. He took it down easily.

"_Son of a bitch."_

Castle called to him over the gunfire.

"_It's getting hairy, Nick. What's the plan?"_

Damn it. He'd honestly hoped this would be enough to stop the fuckers. There were only two contingency plans. The first was abandon the Raft and use the guns on the choppers to tear this thing apart. The other was to radio the Helicarrier and have it fire a missile at this thing. But that would do more harm than good. Those three inside would be killed, Namor was down below keeping the quarantine, the Raft would take damage, and who knew what the fragments could do to the city, much less the river. He fired three rounds into another drone. Shit. War Machine was apparently running out of juice. They were covering him as best they could, but it was no use. More and more kept coming out. He dropped another two before he had to reload again.

"_Just keep shooting, Castle."_

Suddenly, War Machine dropped. The aliens were swarming him now, completely covering him like a piece of meat in a piranha tank.

"_War Machine!"_

He switched to full-auto and kept firing. He lost count of his kills, but they kept coming. Now they were coming for them. He didn't know how well Castle could fight, Daredevil was out, and Widow was useless with her broken leg. He pulled the trigger again and heard the familiar click of an empty chamber. Shit! He groped himself for another clip, but to no avail. He pulled his Deagle again. He only had five rounds left. He was going to make them count. He heard Castle run dry too as the swarm came closer. No time to get to the helicopters. He grabbed his rifle by the barrel and raised it like a club. He wasn't about to go down quietly.

"_Come and get me, motherfuckers!"_

He suddenly felt a strong gust of warm wind come from behind him and ducked down. The aliens were tossed back toward the Hive. What the fuck? He turned around and stared up to the source. Thank Christ.

_

* * *

_

Cyclops swung the Blackbird around and opened the door. He pulled his mask over his face and watched Iceman and Colossus armor up.

"_Remember, the blood's acid. So try not to blow 'em apart. If you get any on you, just _

_straight into the water. Alright boys, let's give ol' Fury a hand!"_

He led Bobby and Colossus down the ramp and leaped down onto the Raft, popping his claws as he did. He saw Fury run over to him.

"_Nice timing Logan."_

"_Wouldn't miss the party, Fury."_

"_War Machine's in there. Try and get him out if you can."_

With his teammates on his heels, he ran forward into the horde of aliens. He slashed at each one he came across. Beheading two, gutting a third, slicing three, four, five of them in-half. He saw Iceman move ahead and freeze a load of them. Colossus just ran them down, crushing a few under his feet. He saw a tail come at him from the side and lopped it off before lunging at the former owner.

He stood up after making sure the creep was dead, and saw Cyclops blasting away at them. Colossus was beating the pulp out of a few others, and Iceman was putting the finishing frosty touches on a few more. Another one came at him and he jumped at it, shredding its skull with all six claws. He looked over and saw War Machine laying on the deck, a few aliens trying to can-opener their way in. He ran toward them before thinking better of his claws and retracting them. He leaped and kicked one of them before tackling another and breaking its neck. He stood up and felt another's tail smack him a few yards away into Colossus.

"_Wolverine. Are you okay?"_

They both stood up.

"_Yeah, just give me a boost, would ya?"_

The alien that attacked him wasn't paying attention to War Machine anymore. He popped his claws again and felt Colossus grab him by the belt and the back of his shirt before spinning once and throwing him. His claws hit the bastard first and they both tumbled a few feet before he lopped its face off. Yuck. He stood back up, no worse for the wear, and headed back over to War Machine.

"_War Machine?"_

"_Uhh. Wolverine?"_

"_You alright?"_

"_Yeah, I'm fine. But the suit's drained. All I can do is keep the basic systems online."_

"_Alright. Hold on, we'll get you outta here. Colossus!"_

Pete walked over and lifted War machine up like he was nothing before bringing him back to where Fury sat. He looked back over at Scott and Bobby, who were holding back a few Marauders. Scott called over.

"_Logan, we could use some cover."_

He ran toward the big red bruisers and took and arm off the first one before stabbing another in the back. He beheaded a third one, and Bobby froze another one instantly, letting Cyclops's blast smash it to pieces. After making sure they were all dead, he looked around. Alien corpses everywhere. He sheathed his claws again. Scott spoke up.

"_Nice work Iceman. Now freeze that hole closed so we can prepare for the next attack."_

"_You got it."_

He watched as Bobby closed the hole off with ice before making his way back to Fury.

"_What'd I miss?"_

"_Namor's helping us keep the aliens from spreading through the water, and Deadpool, _

_Venom, and the Predator are inside the Hive lookin' for something. That's about it."_

"_Alright, how about the wounded?"_

Before Nick could respond he heard a huge crash and looked back toward the Hive. Something big had broken through the ice wall. And boy, was it ugly. It looked that the Predator, but it had an alien's big head and tail. He unsheathed his claws again and ran toward it. Iceman tried to freeze it, but it lifted up a dead Marauder and chucked it at him, sending him into the water. Colossus engaged it, but its tail came from behind and knocked him away. Cyclops called him.

"_Logan, give me a good shot at him."_

"_Right."_

He hunched himself low as he ran. Hopefully he could cut the tendons or something and keep it down. He saw the tail coming and moved to avoid it. But before he knew it, the damn thing had grabbed and thrown him. He landed hard against Cyclops. Damn, that thing could fight! It charged at them just as another one came out of the Hive. They both roared.

"_Aw, shit."_

_

* * *

_

It's tail came at him, but he was able to roll away, letting it smash into the wall. He pulled his disc from his belt and threw it, but it rolled away as he had and his disc stuck into the wall. Venom descended from the ceiling on a swing line and intended to kick it. But it grabbed Venom's legs and hurled him against the wall. Damned hybrids! It's body heat was too low, and it moved too quickly for his plasma cannon to lock on. He extended his spear and held it out for combat. He knew it was far stronger than he was, but if he and Venom could work together, they could easily take it down.

"_Venom! Restrain it!"_

Venom leaped on to the wall above and began firing webbing down on the beast, holding it to the ground. When it seemed to have enough, he ran forward and brought his spear into its chest. He was able to twist it slightly before its hand ripped from the webbing and knocked him away. He had to move quickly, before it pulled free. He unsheathed his ceremonial dagger and stabbed the back of the monstrosity's head. It screamed and roared in pain as he stabbed again and again. Venom came back down from the ceiling and forced the spear into its chest again and again. Finally, the best lay dead in a pool of webbing and its own blood.

He allowed himself a moment to breath and calm himself as his slipped his dagger back into the sheath. He raised his left arm and opened his computer. It scanned on every frequency and spectrum. There were no more Xenomorphs in the area. Just he, Venom, and the Queen. He moved to the wall and retrieved his disc, placing it back on his belt. Venom removed the spear and handed it to him. He nodded in thanks and led his comrade down the Queen's passageway. He placed his plasma caster's targeting reticle in the center of his vision. This was the endgame. To kill her now would end it all. His mission would be complete, and this planet could be saved. He heard Venom licking his jaws as he followed down the narrow hallway. He clutched his spear firmly, but loosely. He had done this many times, and it never got any easier. As he neared the end of the tunnel, he saw strange lights on the walls in the chamber. As if light were being refracted by a liquid. No. He quickened his pace to the end of the hall. It couldn't be. Not after he'd come this far. He finally reached the opening and looked out into the massive chamber in anger… and horror.

* * *

He just never got a break. First caught and sent to jail, attacked by aliens, blowing up his van, losing almost every man he had, being denied Jigsaw's punishment, and now this. He staring down one of those hybrids with Fury, waiting for an opening. They had managed to get Black Widow and the other injured into a chopper to fly away. But it was a hasty retreat, and the guns were damaged. At least they'd gotten away. They had even managed to kill one of those damn ugly hybrid monsters but, just his luck today, another one showed up, And these two weren't going down easy. All the soldiers were dead. Wolverine took another big hit from the other one's tail. That Iceman kid never same out of the water. That Cyclops guy was down, probably dead. And the big Tin-man was barely able to stand. This thing was between them and the last chopper. One of them had destroyed a chopper before they killed it. They should have run for them earlier. With those heavy-caliber turrets they could wipe these fucks out. All he had left was his Ka-bar knife, Fury's second Deagle, and his SHIELD gun for a club.

It lunged first, but they were able to dive away. He emptied his last Deagle rounds into it as he slid over the deck. It bled, but it didn't stop. It came at him until Fury hopped on its back. He stood up and brought the club forward, smashing at against its gut as it wrestled with Fury. The gun splintered. Damn space-age plastics. He pulled his Ka-bar and waited as Fury caught its arms.

"_Castle, now!"_

He lunged forward with the knife, slashing it across the fuck's neck. It bled. And this time it fell. At least these things didn't have acid for blood. He suddenly felt s surge of pain from his arm holding the knife and looked down. Damn thing must have bitten him. A great big cut went halfway up to his shoulder, and it was bleeding. Son of a bitch. He pulled the uncut part of the SHIELD suit over the cut. Hopefully that would help stop the bleeding. But he wasn't much for hope today. He turned and saw the Tin-man get tossed to the ground, and watched as the guy's skin went back from metal to flesh. He must have been knocked out. The monster raised its tail to stab him. Fury ran toward it yelling. He followed and picked up another gun for a bat, seeing that Fury had done the same. He ran as best he could as Nick engaged the enemy. He swung the gun down, but the monster caught it and broke it. The tail slashed Fury's gut, sending a stream of blood through the air, before lifting him up to its face. He knew what was coming. He's seen what was behind those teeth.

"_Hey!"_

The fucker looked away from Fury and focused on him just as he came right up to it.

"_Supposed to say Grace before you eat!"_

He smashed the bastard across the jaw with the gun. It roared in pain and dropped Fury as he dropped the gun and pulled his knife. It jumped at him and he jumped back to dodge, but no dice. It tackled him to the ground hard. But thankfully the suit and the vibranium deck took most of the force. It opened its mandibles at him and he stabbed his knife into it as hard as he could. It screeched again and lifted up, giving him the chance to kick it off and stand up again. But his left leg hurt now, too. Must have been the hit. He could barely stand. The bone was probably twisted or broken. He looked up just in time to get punched in the gut and jackknife again. The broadside of the tail came next, knocking him back through the air. This time he really felt the fall. He could barely move now. So much pain all over. His head sagged to his right, and he saw another gun. He reached for it before the tail came down and speared his arm. He didn't scream. Move through the pain. He tried, but his arm was pinned. It was over.

He heard the ugly fuck hiss again and turned his head to stare up at it. Its jaw was bleeding over the skull on his chest. There was no Vietnam flashback this time. No sudden burst of strength. He closed his eyes and thought of them. His wife, Maria. His daughter, Christine. And his son, Junior. He saw their faces and thought: I'm coming. He opened his eyes one more time in defiance and looked at the ugly fucking thing. But his vision was blurring. He was probably passing out. Blood loss, and pain. He saw a light coming from above the monster, and thought of angels one more time.

* * *

_Author's Note: Well, I certainly hope you all enjoyed reading. Like I said, positive and negative reviews are welcome. I was thinking about splitting this into two chapters, but I knew that would ruin the atmosphere I worked so hard to create. Just in case nobody caught it (wink wink) those 'hybrids' are Predaliens. I just had to give them some exposure. (I thought about hybrid cars when I was thinking about what the characters would call them, and burst out laughing). Anyway, we've only got two chapters left (I'm 99% positive on that now). So I hope this one got you all hyped up for the big finale. And I promise this next one will be in by X-mas (or the 25th if you don't celebrate). A little present under your 'watch list'. :) I'd like to thank every one of you for sticking around after my long vacation. So go ahead and submit a review! I know so many people just go to the reviews page, see that their opinion has already been expressed, and move on. Don't do that! Repetition is very very good! At least in my case. So thank you all once again, and have a fantastic day!  
_


	28. Resurrection

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT****  
Ressurection**

Well, they were certainly fucked now. He raised himself into a sitting position, his midsection burning with the pain. Ugly son of a bitch carved him up like a turkey on Thanksgiving. He looked down and noticed that the suit had taken most of the damage, but his gut was still bleeding. He was probably going to die. But with any luck he won't be found with his guts all over the deck. He put his left arm over the cut and used his right to raise himself to his feet.  
He looked over and saw Castle get hit with the tail and knocked back. He noticed the monster was bleeding. Maybe he could still kill it if he caught it by surprise. He staggered a bit as he stood all way up. He looked around, but couldn't find anything to fight it with. He saw the monster step on over to Castle, and decided on a jagged piece of rifle. He picked it up and made his way forward. He tried to raise himself up into a stabbing position, but the gash on his gut burned. As he closed his eye and jackknifed in pain, he tripped and fell down to one knee, dropping his weapon. He couldn't bring himself to stand back up.

"_It's no use. You're spent, you old warhorse."_

Even as his heartbeat pounded in his ears, he could hear the hissing. There was just no stopping these things. This wasn't the way he had wanted to go out. He wanted to die like a soldier: in battle against the forces of evil; a worthy opponent. Not these ugly spit-riding fucks. But death was rarely a choice. He knew. He'd seen it more times than any man should. And now he was going to see his own.  
He looked up one more time and watched the monster's tail rise up for the killing stroke. Things got bright and blurred his vision. He was probably passing out. He closed his eyes and looked at the ground. No, he wasn't passing out. He looked back up and saw a light just over the Raft. He raised his free arm and heard voice. A familiar voice.

"_Geez, don't these guys know dreadlocks clash with dorsal spikes?"_

At first he couldn't believe his ears. He heard a hard punch, shook his head, and lowered his arm in time to see the monster fall unconscious to his right. His eye wide in disbelief, he stared at the glowing light. Several figures stood in its shadow, and became clearer as the light slowly died. One of them approached him. He rubbed his eye one more time.

"_I don't believe it."_

"_Believe it, cyclops."_

He went limp in relief, letting his head sag. Couldn't mistake that jocularity.

"_Thank God."_

* * *

He couldn't believe he got away with calling Colonel Fury a cyclops. He saw Ben set the powerless Tony down and handed Fury off to him. It felt good to be out of that pocket dimension. He stretched, cracked his neck, and rolled his shoulders, minding the bandage he had over his right arm. He got a little singed on the way in, but he was okay. Reed had some kid there. If little Franklin could create his own dimensions with a thought at just ten years old, who knew what he would be able to do in the future.  
He watched Reed and Sue check up on the Punisher. He looked awful. Usually he had no sympathy for the guy. He did try to kill him after all. But he just couldn't help it. He hoped the old guy would make it. Ben helped Fury to his feet as he looked around. The Raft looked like a war zone.

"_I'm gone a few hours, and you guys trash the place. And yourselves along with it."_

He immediately walked over to Colossus. He had a bruise on his head, but otherwise no worse for the wear. As he was about to shake him awake, he heard the familiar screeching and hissing and looked up. Gee, maybe that giant hole in the side of the Hive was the cause. He moved in front of Colossus and set himself.

"_Ben? Would ya mind getting the door? We have guests."_

Ben came up along his left side him.

"_Hehehe. Think I'd miss this?"_

About seven or eight crawled out, with more behind them. Just the kind of warm-up he needed.

"_Tell 'em what time it is, pal."_

"_It's CLOBBERIN' TIME!"_

Ben rushed forward and let loose a punch like a bowling ball through a tenpin. He leaped and delivered a flying kick to two of them, downing them instantly. His spider-sense flared as a tail came at him from his right. He bent backward to avoid it, only to have it collide with Ben's arm. Ben chuckled before grabbing the tail and swinging the beast around 180 degrees, knocking down all the rest.

"_Home run!"_

He heard more coming and readied his web-shooters. He caught the first one by the chest and yanked it forward into his roundhouse kick. The next one jumped over his head and landed behind him. He ducked as Ben swung around and knocked it back toward the edge. He watched as Ben ran toward the unflinching Marauder.

"_Here comes the big thing-aroo!"_

He couldn't quite see the alien, but he saw Ben's fist rise into the air like an uppercut, and saw the alien fall into the water in at least two pieces.

"_Nice hit, Ben."_

"_Ah, it was nothin'. Hey, watch it!"_

His spider-sense flared again as he heard the hissing come from behind. He jumped straight into the air, doing a backflip as well just escaping the alien's tackle. He completed the backflip and delivered a kick to the monster's back, sending it straight to Ben, who smashed it flat into the deck.

"_You set 'em up…"_

"_So you can knock 'em down. Thanks for the heads-up."_

He whirled around and looked into the hole. Nothing. He couldn't see or hear anything, and his spider-sense couldn't pick up anything either.

"_Coast is clear."_

Ben cracked his neck and his rocky knuckles.

"_Aw, no more? I was just getting' warmed up."_

With the fight over, he returned to Colossus, shaking him a bit to wake him up.

"_Ohhh. Spider-Man? Did we win?"_

"_More or less. Are you okay?"_

"_Yes, I think so. But I have a splitting headache."_

He waited for Colossus to get to his feet before moving on. Wolverine was no doubt fine, so went straight to Cyclops. A few cuts and scrapes.

"_Cyclops?"_

He shook him too, but only got a moan. He probably took more hits than Colossus. He put his ear to Cyclops' chest. His heartbeat was fine, and his breathing was normal too. He was only knocked out. He looked around again before looking back to Fury.

"_Where are Daredevil and Hunter's groups?"_

"_Hunter, Brock, and Wilson are still inside the Hive. Daredevil, Widow, Cage, and War _

_Machine flew back to the mainland to escape. They were all pretty torn up."_

"_Okay. Anybody else?"_

Colossus responded after looking around.

"_Where is Iceman?"_

"_Present!"_

Bobby Drake's familiar voice came from seemingly nowhere. He scanned the deck before looking over the side. He was floating in the water about ten feet below.

"_You alright? I mean aside from that permanent case of brain freeze."_

"_Yeah, I'm alright. Just chillin'."_

"_Very funny. I guess this makes you Ice__berg__."_

"_Touché."_

"_Bow down to the master, kid."_

"_I will once you get me out of here."_

He fired a web line down to him and hauled him back up to the deck. Fury spoke again.

"_We can move all the wounded inside. There's medical supplies in the infirmary."_

Reed responded.

"_Alright. We'll do that. But we'll need all the help we can get. Mr. Castle looks bad, and _

_you don't look very good either, Nick."_

Nick just grumbled as Iceman spoke.

"_I can give you a hand. You up for it Colossus?"_

Colossus was still a bit unstable and held his hand to his head.

"_I think I am to be one of their patients. I cannot shake this dizziness."_

Fury opened the secret hatch on the deck and he helped Iceman move Colossus over to it. Ben carried Cyclops while Fury sat on-deck and spoke to Reed.

"_Go to the left, and follow your first right all the way to the end."_

"_Got it."_

Reed carried the Punisher inside as he looked around to make sure they hadn't missed anybody. The deck was crowded with dead aliens. It made him sick. But there really was no peaceful solution with these things. He exhaled as he walked toward the rest of the group, until he heard footsteps behind him again. He whipped around and saw Hunter and Venom exit the Hive with someone in Hunter's arms. As they came closer he recognized Namor. But as he approached them, they stopped.

"_Hey, did you guys miss me?"_

He hurled himself to the right as Venom lunged at him.

"_Spider-Man!"_

"_Apparently not."_

Venom extended one of his arms and slammed it on to the deck, forcing him to leap into the air. But Venom extended several tendrils and reeled him in from mid-air, bringing them face to face.

"_You were dead!"_

He felt the tendrils closing around his throat, suffocating him.

"_Yeah, sorry to disappoint. That's a bad habit of mine."_

He wrestled to free himself, but to no avail. Venom was apparently very angry with him for some reason. But he got that a lot, so why was he surprised? He felt something come between them, like a balloon. It got bigger and bigger until Venom was forced to let go of him. He looked over and saw the Invisible Woman heading toward them.

"_Okay, enough you two."_

She passed between them looking concerned, and took Namor from Hunter.

"_What happened to him?"_

Hunter spoke.

"_We found the Queen's chamber empty. He was inside, unconscious, and there was a tunnel leading into the water. She must have escaped."_

Sue looked over Namor and levitated him toward the hatch.

"_He looks okay, but we should get him inside."_

He followed Sue, with Hunter between he and Venom. Namor was a big-leaguer. Could a Queen like the one they found in the Baxter Building really have knocked him out? As they approached the group, Fury spoke up.

"_Well? What's the report?"_

Hunter responded.

"_The Queen has escaped into the water. But there is a more pressing issue."_

"_What could be worse than having a giant mama alien loose in the ocean?!"_

"_We also discovered a husk inside the chamber. She has metamorphosed into an Empress Xenomorph."_

"_So what the Hell does that mean?"_

"_She has become much larger, stronger, & faster. Also, her telepathic abilities have increased. But there is positive news."_

"_And what could that possibly be?"_

"_This transformation only occurs when there are no other living Queens left on a planet. She is powerful, but alone… for the moment."_

He piped in.

"_So, that means there are no more aliens left in the city, right?"_

Hunter nodded.

"_For now. But soon she will create a new nest and spawn more Xenomorphs if she is not _

_detained."_

"_Now all we have to do is find a giant, crazy, and don't forget psychic, alien monster with a superiority complex in New York harbor before it escapes into the ocean and makes more of itself. Great. How are we supposed to find it?"_

Venom advanced on him.

"_Hunter's device can track it, and WE can sense her presence, because WE are not USELESS COWARDS!"_

"_Okay, in this situation I can take useless. But I'm no coward, you stalker! Make that stalker__s__!"_

Venom moved forward further and growled, but he didn't back down. He had taken all he was about to today. He was reminded of his broken belt-light. Damn it! Once again he felt something come between them and thrust them apart. It was Hunter, who roared in frustration.

"_We have no time for this petty squabbling! We must find her and kill her quickly!"_

Fury spoke again.

"_Well, you're welcome to use our last chopper."_

He was calming down a little bit now as he countered. This was going nowhere.

"_Alright, but who's going to fly it?"_

He looked down at Fury. He was in no condition. Hunter was new to the planet, he had no experience himself, and the best thing Eddie could do was take a nice picture of it. He turned around after hearing Ben clear his throat.

"_I can pilot that bird. I'm more than a pretty face, ya know."_

"_Sorry Ben, but I don't think the chopper could hold us all."_

Ben looked down in defeat as he carried Tony & Wolverine toward the hatch.

"_Oh…yeah…right."_

"_So we've got a way to find her and a helicopter to follow her, just no way to fly the helicopter."_

"_Someone call for a convenient plot point?"_

He looked around once again. Deadpool was running toward them.

"_I can get that whirlybird skyward in two shakes of Venom's tongue, pilgrim."_

He looked nervously over at Deadpool. He wasn't particularly overjoyed that he was about to put the fate of the planet in his hands.

"_Okay, looks like we've got a plan. I guess." _

Ben was making his way down the hatch. Fury spoke again before going down himself.

"_Alright boys. I'm not sugarcoating it. In all probability the fate of the world is resting on your shoulders. We'll get reinforcements to you as soon as possible. We're all counting on you. Godspeed."_

Nick gave a quick salute before closing the hatch. Great. All he needed was more stress. He was already teaming up with someone who could kill him accidentally, someone who would kill him intentionally, and they were all heading for doom anyway. As he made his way toward the helicopter, he hoped that Daredevil had given MJ that message. He missed her so much. He couldn't wait to be back home with her. Well, anywhere with her would be fine. And then there was Aunt May. She was certainly going to rip him a new one. He hated to worry her, but such is the life of a hero. As he climbed into the helicopter, Deadpool spoke again.

"_Oh, hey! Spider-Man's back! Did you get cursed too?"_

The sound of his voice was beginning to annoy him. And since he was heading off to certain doom for the nth time, he could think of no better response.

"_Sometimes it feels like it."_

* * *

_Author's Note: Well I was looking over my chapter so far last night, and I realized it was getting a bit long, but it didn't quite have that end-of-chapter feel. So I read it through completely, and found a good place to chop it off. So you have your update and I can continue with the next chapter (which is probably half-way done already). So there you have it. I really hated to pull such a schoolboy plot twist, but go ahead and check little Franklin's profile on Marvel's website. It's all there. And come on, you didn't really think I'd let Spider-Man die, did you? Not possible. BUT in the future I may write a "What if...?" story about that. So please, comment comment comment! Let me know how I'm doing. Repetition of opinion is wonderful! And it helps get the chapters out faster, trust me. Cheers, and Happy Holidays!_


	29. The Face of Liberty

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE****  
The Face of Liberty**

"_Do-dooo… do-dooo… do-dooo… do-dooo... Some folks are born, maaaade to wave the flag. Ooh, the red, white, and bluuuue. And when the band plays 'Hail to the Chief,' ooh they point the cannon at yooouuu. It aint me, It aint me, It aint no something something son. It aint me, It aint me, I aint no fortunate one…"_

"_Wilson, shut up!"_

He looked over at Venom in the co-pilot seat. He was being a Grumpy Gus. Did it really make him insane to sing a song every now and then? Did it make him insane that he tried to keep a positive demeanor? Did it really make him insane that he had once forced meatloaf down the throat of a hogtied vegetarian? Well, maybe. But that was beside the point.

"_Oh come on! 'Fortunate One' by Credence Clearwater Revival? That awesome Vietnam helicopter scene in 'Forrest Gump'? You guys are the crazy ones. Missing one of Tom Hanks' best performances."_

He quieted down. Partly because he didn't feel like singing anymore, and partly because that was where the song stopped in the movie, and he hadn't bothered to look it up. He looked over at Venom, and it occurred to him; he knew why Venom was being a jerk. Maybe Hunter rejected him inside the Hive? It was a perfect situation, after all. Isolated with nobody to hear, inside a dark cave where they could die at any minute. And then there was Spider-Man coming back… man, this was starting to sound like a Hollywood love-triangle drama. Maybe he just needed some sympathy? He looked over at Venom and whispered.

"_You know, I'm always here if you need to talk."_

"_What?"_

"_I know how you feel. Love triangles suck."_

"_Wilson, if you weren't flying the helicopter right now, we'd rip your head off and feed your body to the blades!"_

He pulled back. Apparently he wasn't in the mood to talk. Oh well. That joke was running a bit long anyway. He returned some of his attention to the helicopter. All the little levers seemed to be in the right positions, and none of the lights were blinking. So, he was pretty much in the clear. He called back to Hunter.

"_So, how are we coming on tracking the old girl?"_

* * *

He intently watched his view screen, looking for any signs of the Empress. There was a slight heat trail, but that gave only a vague indication of her heading: forward. She was too intelligent. Using a ship detonation to escape the planetoid should have been enough to convince him, but that escape was too much. He was certain this was not natural Xenomorph development. It must have either been a secret training program, or genetic tampering. Neither would have surprised him. He responded to Deadpool's question.

"_Continue in this direction."_

"_That should be easy. We're coming up on another ol' girl, and she's quite a bit bigger."_

Another Empress? A _larger_ one? Impossible. He moved forward between the pilot and co-pilot seats. Spider-Man slid open the side door and looked out. They were approaching something indeed. A small island with a very large pigmented monument at its center. He raised his view screen and focused on the island. She was there. Without a doubt. But he could not pinpoint where.

* * *

The Statue of Liberty. The symbol of freedom that hundreds of immigrants saw as they entered the United States for the first time. How ironic that foreign aliens _and_ space aliens couldn't come into the big apple without seeing it. But his amusement was replaced with worry. If the Empress was there, they would have to fight very carefully to avoid trashing the statue. Great. A picture of Spider-Man destroying the Statue of Liberty would be an early Christmas present for J.J. Jameson.

The sky was darkening again. It was probably about one-thirty now. So much for a 'High Noon' showdown. More like 'slightly-after-noon.' And where's the fun in that? They were coming up pretty fast. These S.H.I.E.L.D. choppers really hauled. Soon enough, they were hovering just over the island at the base of the statue. He jumped down to the ground, followed by Hunter and Venom. Deadpool was about to set the helicopter down when his spider-sense went off. Venom cried.

"_Beneath us!"_

He felt the ground shake violently. Seeing Hunter shaken to his knees, he grabbed him before web-slinging to a nearby tree and pulling them toward it. The ground split apart as the Empress dug up through. Deadpool reeled the chopper back and steadied it before flying in a circle over their heads, waiting for a shot with the cannons. He landed on his feet, and looked up at her. Holy crap! She must have been forty feet tall! He noticed some kind of growths along the sides of her back. Probably thicker armor.

Hunter pushed away from him and he watched as Hunter charged forward, spear drawn. Her massive tail swept just under him as he leaped over it. Next came the giant clawed hand, which he spun and dodged to the left. He got right up to her side and stabbed downward into one of the growths. She screamed and he pulled the spear out as she swerved toward him. If not for his enhanced senses, he probably would have missed the Empress's speed. She moved to bite Hunter, but he used the spear to hold her mouth back, pinning him to the ground. Despite the hit, hunter was holding her back!

Finally he came to his senses and fired a web line to her head and, pulling himself forward, kicked the side of her giant crowned head. It was a good hit, but she barely flinched. He grabbed on to the back of her crown and tried to jerk her head away from Hunter, but, he wasn't strong enough! He saw Venom climb up next to him.

"_We must pin her down!"_

He looked back as Venom attached several web lines to the dorsal spikes and leaned to the right. He picked up the idea and did the same. Together they leaped backward to the ground and used the leverage, along with their own strength, to unbalance the Empress and topple her over. Hunter rolled away just as Deadpool came back around, aiming the guns.

* * *

"_Say ello to my fully-automatic little friends!"_

He squeezed the triggers on the controls. Sometimes he thought there was nothing better than letting loose a little automatic Hell on your enemies. Kinda like squeezing the throttle and going full-speed on a motorcycle. The giant bullets tore through the ground around the downed Empress. Apparently she got bigger, faster, AND uglier. He moved into a hovering position as she tried to squirm away from the gunfire. He watched as the bullets collided with her armor. There were a few hits and splatters of green blood, but for the most part they just seemed to be bouncing off!

"_I love a challenge! I get to use the big stuff."_

He found a bunch of switches marked 'missiles' and flipped two of them. The chopper reeled backward a bit with the force as two missiles flew from tubes on either side of the helicopter. But the Empress suddenly jerked free of Venom and Spider-Man's webs and dodged both missiles, letting the explosions send all of his friends into the air.

"_Oops."_

* * *

They shook their head as they recovered from the blast. That trigger-happy moron! They looked over to see Hunter recovering well. They gave a short glance toward Parker. He was fine. Damn it. They stood back up and watched through the smoke created by Wilson's missiles as the Empress climbed up onto the elevated base of the statue. She was getting away!

They ran through the smoke and watched as Wilson engaged her again with the machine guns. She merely spat a blob of spit at the helicopter, blinding it and sending it backward. They looked away as Wilson tried to maintain control of the chopper. The Empress was scaling the statue! They fired a web line up and followed her, sticking to the massive copper robe. Their psychic xeno-sense was stronger than ever, and they directed all their hate toward her.

They leaped forward and grabbed on to her spikes. As they beat away at her with no effect, they realized that the only way they could hope to hurt her would be to cut her. The pain would subside, and they would heal. They extended their claws and slashed away. They dug first into her back, just barely drawing blood through all the armor. They felt the burning, but moved through the pain. They moved up her back and stabbed higher and higher, until they approached her neck. They raised their arm to slash downward, but they suddenly felt their wrist restrained. What is this? They looked up and saw she had reached back and grabbed their claw with one of her own. As they tried to jerk away from her grip, they felt her massive tail smack them in the side, sending them down toward the concrete two stories below. They quickly spun a web line and swung down to the base where Parker and Hunter were standing.

* * *

Damn. He should have anticipated her attack. But that didn't matter now. Deadpool and his helicopter had disappeared. Probably around the other side of the statue. As Venom's attack indicated, there was no way to keep her from climbing the statue without destroying it. He had to follow her. His readings showed the statue was hollow. There must be a way up from the interior. He looked around and spotted a door at the base. He ran toward it and attempted to open it. It was locked. He raised his leg and placed a solid kick against the center of the two doors and the lock came free. It was dark inside, but his night-vision would aid with that. Good. He turned back to Spider-Man and Venom.

"_Pursue her to the top. I will be there shortly."_

With that, he ran inside. As he passed through a small archway, and alarm went off. Possibly a weapon-detector. He extended his blades and destroyed the device before following the cold tile hallway to a stairway. He looked up. It led all the way to the top. He only hoped he wouldn't be too late as he began bounding up the stairs.

* * *

Hunter ran off before he could say anything. How exactly were they going to do this? If they attacked her, they risked knocking her off the statue. She looked pretty sturdy. The best they could probably do would be to wear her down. He looked over at Venom.

"_Well, how are we…?"_

He was already gone. He looked up and saw him attacking the her.

"_Well, I guess that answers that question."_

He fired a web line upward and clung to the statue. He watched as Venom avoided an attack and landed next to him.

"_We are like flies to her. Our claws can barely get through her armor."_

"_And it doesn't look like we're going to change her course at all."_

"_If we can only weaken her, then so be it."_

Venom leaped toward her and he followed. If they cold slow her down a bit, that would give Hunter more time to reach the top. He didn't know how fast he could climb, but for a normal person that was a long walk.

He leaped forward toward her. She was speeding up now toward the top. He climbed up toward her head and his spider-sense let him dodge her swinging claws. Apparently the direct approach was out. He leaped backwards off the statue and when he was far enough away from it, he fired a line and used the momentum to swing all the way around it. He looked down for a split second and saw the helicopter on the ground below. It looked like Deadpool was cleaning the window.

He came around the other side of the statue at speed and extended his leg into a strong kick into the Empress's side. He felt her shake against the hit and quickly leaped away again, avoiding her tail. As he landed a safe distance away, he noticed that the growths were quickly expanding. Egg sacs maybe?

He watched as Venom scratched and clawed away, avoiding her attacks. They were getting nowhere fast. She was barely even phased by their attacks, and they hadn't slowed her down at all. She was almost to the face now. But if they couldn't slow her down here, maybe they could trap her at the top.

He fired a web up to the crown and pulled himself up. He began spraying webbing all over the top of the head. Hopefully this stuff would keep her trapped long enough for Hunter to arrive.

* * *

He could hear the Empress's claws scraping against the exterior of the statue as he ran up the steps. He tried to control his breathing as his heartbeat pounded in his ears. His knees ached again. Damn these stairs. As he ran, he formulated a plan in his mind. If there wasn't significant damage inflicted by Venom & Spider-Man by the time he reached the top, it would be clear his weapons would not be of much help. Even the skin around her growth sacs was tough. The only option would be to use his bomb. Thankfully he had conserved it.

He stopped and stole a glance upward. Not far to go now. And the scratching against the statue told him his quarry wasn't much further away. It was then that it occurred to him; why would she climb the statue in the first place when she could have easily just swam away? Perhaps to lure them up to the top and leap off to escape, stranding them there? Maybe to simply have a smaller space in which to kill them? Or did she have other thoughts?

He reached the final level, looked out through the view window, and looked down. She was still a distance below him. He locked on is targeting reticle and fired a plasma bolt. But she leaped to the side and the bolt only struck her lower tail. Curses. She screeched in pain and she moved to the other side of the statue. The tail was still intact, but the blast had burned away the barbed tip.

As the tail moved out of his field of vision, he moved his leg over the edge of the window and lifted himself outside, clutching the top of the statue's giant crown. He lifted himself up quickly and reached the top just as she did. But the side she climbed onto was covered with Spider-Man's webbing. Clever. He quickly tried to align his targeting reticle, but lost his balance as the Empress struggled against the webbing, shaking the statue. He pulled his spear from his belt and extended it into the metal to hold him steady. He looked up in time to see one of her claws coming toward him.

* * *

As they sat on the raised arm of the statue, they fired a web line and caught the Empress's claw before it could reach Hunter. It gave him time to fire his weapon and blast the hand off. The bitch screamed in pain as she climbed up fully on top of the statue. She pulled her arm to the side, yanking them off their perch.

As they landed on the head in a roll, they avoided her tail as it came down. It seemed Hunter had blasted that as well. They could practically feel their connection with her being this close, and they could hear faint whispers in their head that were not their own.

As Spider-Man fired web upon web on top of her to hold her down, they ran forward and raked their claws down the side of her ugly face. The whispers intensified and grew louder. She squirmed against Spider-Man's webs and it felt as if she were shaking the statue! In an effort to stabilize her, they grabbed her jaw and pointed the mouth safely downward. If she had eyes, they would be staring deeply into them.

Now the whispering had become a numb pressure in their skull and suddenly the voice became clearer. All the other sounds seemed to fall away and become fuzzy. They heard Hunter's words.

"_Venom, move! I require a clear shot!"_

But the words had lost their meaning. The whispering had drowned everything out. And it suddenly became clear. The bitch… the Empress… was speaking to them.

"_Why must we be enemies? We are the same. Considered monsters by those who presume to call themselves good. We both do only what we must to survive."_

Their thoughts became words in their head.

"_No. You murder people to spawn, and only hunger for death and destruction!"_

"_I only hunger for prosperity for my kind. Is that such a terrible thing? You yourself feed off of a human host. So a few meaningless beings must die for my kind to exist. These humans do the same thing to lesser creatures. And why do you hate us? We have done nothing to you, or the symbiote kind. If anything, we have renewed your lust for destruction and vengeance. Spider-Man is the one you have yearned to kill for so long."_

"_How do you know that?"_

"_I can see into your mind. Your language… your planet… it's wonderful. Aid me in taking it from these inferior fools, and I will see to it that you will have everything you desire. Beginning with the death of Spider-Man."_

* * *

He stopped spraying his webbing. It looked like Eddie had calmed her down, whatever he was doing. He steadied himself on top of the torch and looked down at Hunter. He looked anxious.

"_Venom!"_

What was Eddie doing? He looked back over and watched as he suddenly extended a tendril and knocked Hunter to the ground. He moved to restrain him when his spider-sense tingled again and he heard his webs snap. He saw the Empress's tail coming at him and leaped him into the air as the tail destroyed the false flames on the torch.

"_Oh, man! I am NOT paying for that!"_

He fired a web in mid-air and secured her tail to the torch. He landed on the tip of one of the crown points in time to see Venom rip Hunter's cannon off his shoulder and crush it. What the Hell was going on?

"_Eddie, what are you DOING?!"_

His spider-sense rang like crazy as Venom extended his claws, roared, and pounced.

* * *

_Author's Note: Sorry, no big finish yet. But I'm going to try my damnedest to finish this battle in Chapter 30. And after that, the end of the story. We seem to have quite a turning of the tables here, and I hope you'll all join me (and review) for the conclusion to this titanic tag-team battle for New York City, and the planet Earth, atop the Statue of Liberty. Until next time, thanks for reading and have a nice day!  
_


	30. Battle of the Nemeses

**CHAPTER THIRTY****  
Clash of the Nemeses**

* * *

_Author's Note: Hey again everybody. Really sorry about the wait for this one. But I hope you enjoy it!_

**

* * *

  
**

Venom jumped toward him and his reflexes kicked in, leaping over him and sending him over the edge of the statue. As he landed he took a quick look over the edge. He knew Eddie was smart enough not to fall to his death, but he looked anyway. He had secured a web, and was climbing up fast. He turned his attention to Hunter.

"_Are you alright?"_

"_Yes. He only removed my plasma caster. Look out!"_

His spider-sense flared and he rolled to the left, with Hunter rolling to the right. They had both avoided the Empress's tail as it came down between them. She was stronger than he thought, to be able to break his webs so quickly. Must have been a special feature from that 'evolution' along with those giant pieces of armor on her sides. He prepared himself to leap forward and counterattack when Hunter's spear came down in front of him.

"_Tend to Venom. I will handle her."_

"_You sure?"_

He heard Venom claw his way back to the top of the statue. He looked strange; feral. Like a mad dog or something.

"_Go!"_

* * *

The idea became more and more appealing the longer they thought about it. These humans were worthless and weak. They were selfish, unappreciative creatures who didn't deserve their lives. It was time they took over. And she was right. They had renewed their hate for Spider-Man. And what better way to defeat him utterly than to take away everything and everyone he loved dear? They licked their jaws at the idea as the worm spoke.

"_Venom, I don't want to hurt you. Just calm down."_

They only roared and reached out a tendril to impale him. The bug dodged and they roared again as he came at them. They moved to grab him, but he slipped through their arms and kicked them in their stomach. The pain was momentary, as they fell backwards off the statue. They fired a web line up and attached to Parker as he tried to climb away. Worthless arachnid. He would die by their hand, but not before they had some fun.

* * *

Hoooooly crap! Either he was losing muscle, or Eddie was getting heavier. He could barely hold on to the edge of the crown's spike. He reached around to his back and tried to tear the webbing off, but no luck. He'd have to take the lower road. He lifted his feet to the spike and kicked off downward, putting a fist into Eddie's chest. He kicked off his chest and flipped backward to cling to the statue.

"_Eddie, what gives? Two minutes ago we were fighting the Empress together, now you're trying to tear me apart!"_

Eddie landed on the statue and ran toward him, laughing like a psychopath.

"_Hahahaha! As it should be! She has renewed our hatred of you, and shown us that she is not the enemy! RAA!"_

He bent backward and dodged Eddie's slash and once again tried to kick him in the chest. But Eddie caught his legs and tossed him away from the statue. He quickly spun a web and swung back to the statue a few levels lower. Something must have happened to Eddie while he was holding down the Empress. But what? Eddie came at him again and he fired net webs this time. As expected they did no good. Eddie slashed left and right, he dodging both before punching him across the face. The first punch hit, but Eddie grabbed his second one and kicked him hard in the ribs.

"_We're not going to kill you. Oh no. We're going to make you suffer."_

Even through his rough breathing he couldn't resist.

"_As if listening to the two of you isn't suffering enough."_

Venom roared and twisted his arm, slamming him against the statue. His head was ringing, but he could have sworn he heard a chuckle at that joke. He fired a web into Venom's eyes and slipped away while he tore the blinding web away. And that chuckle didn't sound familiar. It sounded like Venom suddenly had a third voice. Eddie, the symbiote, and something else.

* * *

He rushed forward with his spear in his left hand and his disc in the other. She hissed and attacked with her handless arm. He spun to his left, dodging the attack, before quickly stabbing the stump into the ground with his spear. With the limb pinned, he ran up the appendage toward her head with his disc ready. She turned her hideous head to block his path and he leaped atop it, avoiding her jaws. He had to reach that weak point at her neck. It was the only place not armored heavily. He leaped down from her giant crown on to her back.

As he landed, his knees exploded in pain. He released an instinctual roar to the shock and tried to stand up. But try as he might, he couldn't manage. Damn his age. He felt her weight shift and saw her other clawed hand come at him. He could only roll to the left out of the way, landing against the growth sac on her right side. Her claw scraped against her back. She couldn't reach him. He tried to cut into the sac with his disc. Still no good. His spear had only just gotten through before, and the sacs were hardening; hollowing out. He didn't have much time. He had to stall; immobilize her.

Her remaining claw continued scraping against her back, trying to reach him. He waited for his opportunity, and took it. He pulled his dagger from the sheath on his calf and quickly rolled over to the claw as it landed. He quickly stabbed the dagger through the hand into her back, pinning it. He fought his way to his feet and immediately dropped down again to avoid her swinging tail. His knees still twinged painfully. He would have to calculate his moves from now on. Make sure to waste no energy and endure no more pain than necessary.

Avoiding her flailing tail, he quickly slipped back down her pinned arm, using his disc to slice at her approaching face. He rolled across the statue out of her reach before climbing back to his knees. He checked his belt to ensure his whip was still there, which it was. As he rubbed his knees and caught his breathe, he heard her hiss. Almost like a snicker. And he suddenly heard a voice in his head.

"_You're weak, Warden."_

His eyes widened in shock. Those were not his thoughts. He heard the serpentine laughter again and looked back up to the Empress.

"_And I am going to kill you."_

It couldn't be. She could…

"_Yes. I can use my telepathy."_

No Empress in the records had ever shown such mental ability. It was true, they used low-level telepathy to control the others, but to speak to higher life forms was unprecedented.

"_I am new; superior. And I will spawn more superior Xenomorphs. I can see into your mind. Your plans. Your weaknesses."_

She snickered again. He remembered Venom. What had happened just now? He remembered when they had first met. It had attacked him then… but in defense of its territory. They had defeated the Xenomorphs and Venom had been captured, the symbiote transferred to a Xenomorph. Perhaps something had occurred… Of course. Venom derived its Xenomorphic telepathy from its host. And with her mental abilities so powerful, she could manipulate Venom like any other drone! He heard her snicker again.

"_Yes, you've figured it out. Bravo."_

He watched as she wrestled her hand free from her back and pulled his dagger out with her teeth, spitting it away. She then grabbed his spear and freed her handless arm before putting the vulnerable grip between her teeth and using her inner jaw to bite the spear in-half and spitting it away as well.

"_But you will not live to stop Venom… or me."_

This time her evil hiss resonated in his ears as well as his mind. She charged forward.

* * *

He ran up the statue as quickly as he could, with Venom screaming after him. He reached Liberty's neck and looked back. Venom was almost on top of him. He shot a web down to the statue and leaped backward off of it. As he expected, Venom jumped up too, trying to cut him off. He yanked hard on his web and pulled himself back to the statue before jumping off again and delivering a roundhouse kick to Venom. Hey, when all else fails… or when you didn't have a plan… knock some sense into the situation.

He looked over to see where Venom had gone to, but saw nothing. He zipped back to the statue. Maybe he had gone around the other side? He turned his head to look to his right, and suddenly heard Venom's new savage roar behind him. He turned in time to take both of Venom's feet in his chest. He could only cough as the air was forced out of his lungs. He fell downward with Venom on top of him, quickly passing by Liberty's robe.

"_Fighting us is useless; protecting these worthless humans who don't deserve the work you do for them. Why?"_

"_Just to meet exciting new wackos like yourself."_

He fired another web into Venom's eyes before shifting his weight to the left and out from beneath Venom's feet. He gave him a quick kick in the other direction as he zipped back to the statue. Venom quickly clung to the statue as well before ripping the webbing from his eyes.

"_Speaking of which, it sounds like you've got a new boarder in that hotel of a head of yours. Do you have to pay five brain cells a night, or does it go by week?"_

"_Your tricks are getting old, Parker."_

"_Thanks, I'm here all night."_

Venom again rushed toward him and tried to grab him, only to have him leap over his head and land behind him.

"_You don't have too many new moves yourself."_

"_On the contrary…"_

As he contemplated the origin and meaning of that statement, he felt something tighten around his ankle and yank him off his feet, smashing into the side of the statue. His head was ringing again, and this time he knew he was coughing up blood. Again, the thing around his ankle pulled and slammed him into the statue where he had been. He really needed to get a helmet for this kind of work.

His head was spinning as he felt himself lifted again, hanging in front of Venom, who was now looking more monster-like than ever. He managed to look up at whatever was around his ankle. A tail. A tail? He looked back to his enemy. Venom hissed at him through his jaws before licking them with his giant… toothy… tongue. What the Hell?

"_Hehehe…HAHAHA! Now we've got you!"_

His head was still spinning. He couldn't coordinate himself to defend. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain. But it didn't come. He opened his eyes and saw Venom just standing there frozen, before looking back up to the top of the statue, growling. He turned his attention back to him.

"_We will deal with you later."_

He felt the tail release him, and that familiar sense of falling set it. As he fell down toward the base of the statue, he shook his head. Had to get a grip. He raised his wrist and squeezed the web-shooter trigger, releasing a stream of air. Aw crap. He raised his other wrist. Whatever he had left would have to do. He pulled the trigger as he passed the viewing platform beneath the statue. A small strand came out and stuck to the stone. Relieved, he pulled himself up.

He held his hand to his head in a quick attempt to stop it from spinning. It felt good to be back on solid, upward-facing ground. Venom was looking more and more like a Xenomorph. It sounded like that third voice was taking him over. He remembered from the day before; the Symbiote attached to a young Queen. He hoped Eddie wasn't turning into that. After shaking off the dizziness, he squeezed both web-shooters again. Nothing. Time for a change-out. His hand moved down to his belt, and he popped the empty cartridges out and placed two new cartridges in. A quick squeeze bore perfect results.

He looked up and saw Venom heading quickly for the top. What was that about? Then he remembered that Hunter was fighting the Empress all alone. He climbed up the stone back to the statue and began leaping as fast as he could. Hunter was probably just barely holding his own against the Empress. He couldn't let Venom give her any better odds. He had plenty of webbing. He fired a pair of lines to the statue, and slingshot himself upward. He fired a line up to Venom's back to anchor to the statue. And it served pretty well at getting his attention. Venom turned around and hissed at him. That third voice was getting very powerful now.

"_Hey! No fair two against one!"_

The tail came at him, but he was able to maneuver out of the way, letting it pass just under his left arm. He grabbed it and extended his right leg into Venom's chest. Following that, he kicked the tail to the side and webbed it to the statue, landing on the left next to his adversary.

"_Then again, there's usually at least two of you in there anyway. But three-on-one is ridiculous!"_

He blocked as Venom lashed his new tongue out, and bit into his S.H.I.E.L.D suit on his right arm.

"_Hey, what is this? Pre-school?"_

As he tried to free himself from the tongue's mouth, Venom slashed at him with his right hand. He raised his left arm to block the attack and placed two kicks into Venom's uglifying face. He flipped over backwards, knocking away Venom's right arm. But the tongue only wrapped itself further around his arm. He slammed the ugly slimy thing against the statue, but it didn't release. Venom hissed again and raked his claws against the statue, reaching for him.

"_Okay pal. You need a time out!"_

Venom could only screech at him like one of those things. Feeling the tongue trying to reel him in, he used the pull to his advantage. He slammed his right knee into Venom's hand, flattening it against the statue, and kicked Venom's face with his left foot. As he pulled himself away, he heard his webbing snap and saw the tail coming at him again. He rolled himself toward Venom, over the elongated tongue, to dodge the limb before rolling away again. Whatever was happening to Venom was definitely diminishing his intelligence. The tail missed him and smacked into the lengthened tongue. Venom screeched and released him. He had to finish it now.

He rolled along the statue into Venom's chest and began beating away, punching as quickly as he could. Five in the chest, one under the mouth, two elbows in the gut and one in the side of the head into the statue. Venom would be disoriented after a series of blows like that. He quickly crawled away, with the groggy beast unable to do anything, and began webbing him up. He piled web upon web on to the dazed creature until he was trapped in a big cocoon. He was still struggling a little, but another quick punch across the face put him out.

"_Hang on, pal. I'll be back."_

* * *

He used his broken spear ends as batons and crossed them in front of him, blocking her oncoming claws. As strong as he was, his knees couldn't take the pressure of holding her back for long. He pulled his right baton away and spun clockwise, using the left baton to hold her claw back. As he spun, he released his right baton and re-gripped it for a downward strike, impaling her claw as he pulled completely around. He could only release the baton as she yanked her arm back. As she tried to pulled the piece out with her teeth, he unhooked his whip from his belt and held it behind him with his left baton in front, re-gripping this baton for a downward strike as well. She was preoccupied with her wound, and there was little time left. He had to strike now!

He moved forward whilst raising the whip and stopped shortly to lash it across her chest. She screeched and released her injured arm, bringing her clubbed arm upward to strike. A constant back-and-forth tactic would waste time, and his knees were weak enough as it was. He leaped into the air to the left, dodging the clubbed hand as it came down on his right. But he was open in the air, vulnerable as her other hand came at him and grabbed him. He tried to raise his whip again, but his grip was broken as he pulled. He looked down for a moment and noticed her clubbed hand had come down not to crush him, but to restrain his weapon! He could hear her sickly reptilian laughter again as she lifted him up and brought him quickly toward her mouth, as if to bit him in half.

"_Die!"_

He had no time to think as he was quickly brought between her jowls to face her inner jaw. He brought his left arm forward to block the jaws, the baton and his forearm guard holding it back for those few precious seconds as he unsheathed his right-hand wrist blades and removed the thing. She screamed with pain as the amputated limb hemorrhaged her acidic blood, tossing him back to the front of the statue. He rolled until he met the metal woman's crown and stopped. He could feel the acid burning through his forearm guard, and quickly ripped it off. He blinked a few times and held his head to stave off the dizziness. He stood up gingerly and heard a roll of thunder, turning his eyes skyward. The sky was darkening again as another atmospheric disturbance rolled over the city. He once again heard that familiar _thwip_ sound and looked to his right toward the statue's raised arm. Spider-Man clung to the spot momentarily before leaping over to stand next to him. He pulled his disc into his left hand.

"_We must restrain her so that we may kill her."_

His ally nodded in comprehension, but he was cut off as Spider-Man reacted.

"_Look out!"_

He looked up and saw the Empress rushing toward them! He felt Spider-Man grab him around the waist and felt himself pulled down and backward, falling between the spikes on the statue's crown.

* * *

_Author's Note: Sorry, no finale yet. This chapter was getting WAY too long for its own good (I try to keep them at about 5 pages single-space so they aren't horrendously long when double-spaced). So I had to cut what I had already written in half to bring you this. But it feels like a great 'cliffhanging' moment to cut out. BUT this means the next chapter will come out relatively quickly. But then again compared to this one ALL the chapters have come out quickly. I apologize once again for the lateness. Thanks for reading, and have a nice day!  
_


	31. Out of Darkness & Deadpool VS Empress

**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE  
Out of Darkness; Deadpool VS Empress**

He rolled over the copper crown and fell through the spikes. He grabbed the edge of the crown and held on, but Hunter fell through his grip around his waist and fell. His spider-sense let him reach out and grab Hunter's arm before he fell further. He made sure Hunter was alright before looking back up at the Empress. From his vantage point the couldn't help but marvel at how huge she was. But she didn't reach down for them like he thought. Instead, she just sat there, writhing like she had a bad itch. What the heck? Suddenly he heard cracking, like plaster coming apart. But it wasn't the statue. He looked up and saw the giant armor growths on the Empress's sides breaking apart. He heard Hunter growl and looked down at him.

"_We are too late!"_

"_Too late for what? Pop a few nasty zits?"_

The cracking only worsened as he looked up again. Bits and pieces fell away, and he saw something move inside the growths. The moving things stretched out slowly from her sides. It looked like she was growing new arms. But no. As the limbs opened further he saw leathery flaps attached to the arm-like structures. As the limbs opened to their fullest at either side of the Empress, his thoughts were confirmed. Not arms, but wings! The Empress screeched and flapped her new wings slowly, the cold wind flowing down swaying he and Hunter in the breeze. She screeched again and the flapping quickened. He heard Hunter speak over the wind and looked down.

"_Drop me! Stop her!"_

"_Are you crazy?!"_

He lifted himself through the viewing portal into the head, lifting Hunter with him. He helped Hunter slide through the portal to the floor.

"_We must stop… No!"_

He watched as the Empress leaped off the face of the statue, wings spread wide like some giant bird. He dove back out the window and fired a web to her and one to the statue. He watched as her wings caught the air and lifted her up into the sky, flapping along the way. He held as tightly as he could to the line holding her back, but she was too strong! He heard the copper of the statue creak and saw the webbing connecting to her snap. He pulled himself back into the statue and watched as she fell toward the ground. He pulled himself back through the window and looked back to see her hit the ground at the base of the statue.

"_What was __that__?!"_

"_An evolutionary measure to help spread the eggs over vast distances. Why didn't you drop me?!"_

"_Because saving an innocent life is worth more than destroying an evil one."_

"_That may be, but how shall we stop her now?"_

His mind raced and he remembered back to the Baxter Building; the thing Reed had found there and given it to him. He moved his hand over his right chest pocket and found what he was looking for inside. He pulled the small, white, round object out and looked it over quickly. Reed called it the Ultimate Nullifier. He said it was a piece of higher technology that could destroy any one thing the user focused on, but at the cost of the user's life. He looked back down and saw the Empress getting back to her feet and shaking her wings back to life. It was worth the risk. He aimed the device out the window and focused on her. The Empress. The last of the Xenomorphs on Earth. The device began to hum and glow in his hand, but he kept his focus on her. It was rattling in his grip and he felt something happening.

"_No!"_

He felt Hunter wrap his arm around his waist and pull him backward to the ground. He tried to sit up, but Hunter's hand came down on his collar, holding him down as Hunter wrestled the device from his grip.

"_What did you do that for? You said we have to stop her!"_

"_Indeed, but not at that cost."_

He pushed aside the questions in his mind and focused on the more pressing one.

"_Well then what are we going to do?"_

He suddenly heard a voice come from his microphone.

"_Well, the helicopter's fixed so why don't we all go for pancakes?"_

He looked down at the microphone and saw Hunter's hand pressing against it.

"_Deadpool?"_

"_At your service, master Wayne. Oops, wrong universe."_

He didn't think he'd ever be so happy to hear Deadpool mimicking an English butler. He sat up and Hunter took his hand away. He ran back to the window and squeezed the mic, looking down at the Empress as she climbed back to her feet.

* * *

He sat patiently in the pilot's chair of the helicopter with the headset over his ears. He had wanted to listen to some music, but he found the frequency for the microphones instead. He heard Spider-Man talk again.

"_Deadpool, you said you've got the helicopter ready?"_

"_Yeah."_

It took him a while, but he finally got all that alien spit off the windshield.

"_Get it in the air. The Empress can fly now and she about to take off."_

"_Really? Like a dragon or something?"_

"_Yes, just go!"_

"_Sweet!"_

He flipped all the little switches and fired up the helicopter. This was going to be awesome! Like that scene at the end of "Reign of Fire" when Matthew McConaughey fought the bull dragon. Except HE wasn't going to die and lose the love interest to Christian Bale. The blades were at flight speed now, and he lifted the bird off the ground. He pulled around to the other side of the statue and saw the big girl flapping her wings and moving up into the air.

"_Okay, round two. I know what you're thinking Empress. You're thinking. "Did the awesomeness incarnate that is Deadpool fire four-hundred shots or only two-hundred?" Now, to tell you the truth, I forgot the rest of this quote so I'm just gonna ask you: do you feel lucky?"_

She turned her ugly punk head toward him and screeched before taking off in the opposite direction. Apparently she DID feel gunned the chopper forward to follow her and opened up the machine guns.

"_Deadpool, don't lose her! Move her back toward the statue so we can kill her."_

"_Roger."_

That was another phrase he never got. Why say Roger? And which Roger did they mean? Roger Moore? Roger Corman? Roger Rabbit? Ah, who cares. He pulled around to the side of her and let loose with the guns again.

* * *

He watched as Deadpool and the Empress drifted away into the clouds. He looked over at Hunter, who sat there next to the wall rubbing his knees.

"_Are you alright?"_

"_Don't worry about me. Where is Venom?"_

He remembered Venom was in his cocoon. He should still be there.

"_He's taking a nap. What happened to him, anyway?"_

"_When a symbiote attaches to a host, it retains traits of that host in its genetic memory."_

"_Trust me, I know."_

"_When Venom was attached to the Xenomorph, it absorbed a small piece of its psyche into itself, resulting in his ability to sense other Xenomorphs. But the drones are mentally controlled by the Queens. And in this case, the Empress's increased psychic powers allowed her to influence and manipulate Venom."_

So that was it. No wonder he was mimicking those things.

"_Is there any way to reverse it?"_

"_When she dies it should wear off. But it is up to Venom's strength of mind in the end."_

He thought it over and looked back out the window. Deadpool and the Empress were still battling amongst the clouds like a pair of dueling kites. He had to help Venom while he had time.

"_I'm going down to help Venom."_

"_Very well. I will observe the battle… agh!"_

Hunter tried to stand up, but fell back to the floor.

"_What's wrong? Are you hurt?"_

Hunter was silent for a moment. Sounded like his pride was the only thing damaged.

"_My knees. Damn this old age."_

"_Here, let me help."_

He laid Hunter's legs out straight and twisted the nozzle on his web-shooters. He squeezed gently, and a wide stream came out. As he squeezed the trigger he began wrapping the webbing around Hunter's knees. Hopefully it would work as a bandage for a while. Within a few minutes Hunter's knees were wrapped up good and tight. He helped him to his feet, and he tested the wrapping out. Hunter paused a moment before looking down at him.

"…_Thank you."_

"_No problem."_

With that, he took off out the window. Now for Venom.

* * *

Their dreams were dark; tinted with blackness. Images of the burning Baxter Building. They remembered hunting Spider-Man. Toying with him. Taking pleasure in his misery, confusion, and desperation. They dreamed of killing him. Breaking him. Standing triumphant over his mangled corpse, finally aware of the pain he had caused them. Then the darkness took over. Flashes of the Xenomorphs. Killing, spawning, biting, screeching. And finally the Empress. Their Empress. How regal and powerful she was, and the just desserts she would rain down on the ungrateful, inferior human race. And suddenly it wasn't the two of them killing Spider-Man anymore. It was the three of them killing him. Ripping their claws through him. Wrapping their tail around him, choking him, and finally, driving their tongue through his skull. They felt themselves being shaken and opened their eyes. Parker stood over them. The new voice urged them. _Tear him apart!_ They struggled, but they were trapped within his cocoon. Even their tail couldn't rip through the webbing. They screeched at him in vain.

"_Eddie…Venom… snap out of it! The Empress has gotten into your mind. She's controlling you!"_

They struggled, ignoring his words. They were not being controlled! Only allowed their vengeance on all those unworthy!

"_Come on! That Xenomorph put something in your mind! Your ability to sense them is controlling you! Break it!"_

_Lies_ said the third voice. _I am not controlling you, I am freeing you from your humanity. The humanity that has held you back!_ They were puzzled. There had been no _I_ in their mind before.

"_Venom, you hated the Xenomorphs! Remember our deal?"_

Their mind flashed back to when they had been rescued. They remembered the deal. But why had they wanted to be rescued before, and not now?

"_Damn it Eddie you were human once! Remember your wife, Anne?"_

Memories came forth. Dating Anne. Marrying her. Kissing her, holding her, loving her. The third voice spoke again. _You have no need for these emotions. All you must do is hate! Kill the humans and serve the Empress!_ Their mind was a whirling paradox. They struggled against the webbing, hoping physical freedom would relieve them of the turmoil.

"_You wanted to protect people, preserve that basic goodness, and now you want to destroy the human race? Why?! You were human once, Eddie! Now look at you! You're a monster!"_

The words dug themselves into their mind. Parker was right. They had become a creature bent on causing death and destruction: the very thing they hated most! They had fallen so far. Too far. This thing in their mind… this new, third voice… it WAS influencing them, controlling them! _You will obey your Empress! Kill for her! Continue our proud race across the galaxy! Who are you to deny your Empress? You are nothing to her but a subject! You are a human weakling and a pathetic symbiote brought together by hatred! Embrace the hatred and obey! _True, they were a human and a symbiote. But they were not weak, they were not a subject, and they would not obey! The thoughts resonated in their mind such that they screamed them aloud.

"_You are a disease; a virus! You are not welcome! GET OUT OF OUR MIND!"_

They struggled even harder against the webbing, suppressing the Xenomorph, drowning it out, killing it. They're mind was clearing. Their memories brightened, and their emotions returned. They felt physical changes as well. Their tail shrank and disappeared. Their head returned to its normal size and lay against the statue. The spines on their back faded away. Finally, their mind was clear. They laid their head back to rest against the statue, breathing hard. They felt like they were going to sleep. But something pulled them back. A voice.

"_Eddie?"_

Parker's voice. The only one that called them by that name. They recalled the deal once more. He had saved them before. No, twice now. They owed him their life. Enough to let him keep his. And they owed the Empress. They owed her death. They opened their eyes and looked up at their… 'partner.'

"_Are you alright?"_

"_Just get us out of here, unless you want us to go back on our deal and turn you into a throw rug."_

"_I'll take that as a 'yes'."_

* * *

"_Oh no, you're not going anywhere. Come 'ere!"_

He pulled the helicopter around, once again firing the machine guns. She kept trying to run, or rather fly, but he wasn't about to let that happen. He pulled up to the right of her and fired away. It was so AWESOME to be in a helicopter with gun turrets that swiveled. He looked over at her as she fell backwards through the air away from him.

"_Aww, nobody wants to play with me…"_

He feigned sadness as he followed her through the clouds. The guns seemed to be more annoying than they were painful. He saw only chips and pieces of her armor come away against the heavy-caliber bullets. He heard an annoying beeping sound and looked down. Apparently he was running out of bullets. Damn, these S.H.I.E.L.D helicopters had everything! Maybe if he lived… well, if he won… Fury would give him one of these babies as a thank-you gift.

He came out of his thoughts of ninja-related decals as the big bird shifted course. He moved down to follow her again. She was still moving away from the statue! He let go of the machine guns and looked around for other weapons, falling back to the missiles. Well, if she WAS going back toward the statue, then he wouldn't get to use the rest of these. He chuckled to himself and flipped two more switches, sending two more missiles toward her. The first one flew just under her wing, but the second one flew right up her back and exploded. He quickly reeled the chopper backward to avoid catching on fire and watched. He lit her up like a Roman candle. There's another weird phrase: 'Roman candle.' Do all the candles in Rome explode? He imagined a monk moving through a dark room using a candle, and the candle exploding in his hand. Ha!His mind returned to the explosion. As the smoke cleared, he could make out something moving in the smoke. It was her. Standing… or rather flapping there, just looking at him.

"_Oh, so it's a staring contest you want, huh? Bring it on!"_

He squinted his eyes, staring intensely at her. As he did so, he realized that she didn't have any eyes.

"_Ha! I win!"_

She opened her ugly mouth and roared at him. The surprise made him jump back into his seat.

"_Okay, okay, you win! And your prize is… missile-in-the-face!"_

He flipped tow more of the switches and sent two more missiles flying at her and exploding. He watched as she fell through the smoke down toward the water.

"_Well, you know what they say: 'If at first you don't succeed, make them die-die again!"_

He chuckled to himself at his little pun and watched the Empress's wings open again as she fell.

"_That's not good."_

He squeezed the machine gun triggers again as she flew back up toward him. But the guns ran dry after a few seconds. Crap. He reached over to the missile switches and realized he had flipped them all. Time to run! He pulled the chopper backward as she flew up past him, and turned to the statue as she flipped over and flew toward him.

* * *

_Author's Note: Hey again everyone. I tried my hardest to finish Chapter 31, and it ended up being about 15 pages long. So I had to split it into 31 & 32. Trust me, 32 is the end. I just finished writing it. The battle is over. But the story is not! I have one chapter left to write, and you have one chapter left to read. So I sincerely hope you've enjoyed this clash of the titans, and I hope you'll join me for the final chapter. Thank you all so much, and have a nice day!_


	32. Endgame Worthy Warriors

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO****  
Endgame; Worthy Warriors**

He, along with Venom and Spider-Man, waited atop the statue. His knee pains were reduced to a dull ache thanks to Spider-Man's webbing. He had cleaned and cauterized his wounds earlier as well while Spider-Man helped Venom. Unfortunately all of his weapons had fallen off the statue. All that remained were his disc, his blades, and his bomb, which he had foolishly forgotten to use while he was on top of her! Determined to not repeat the mistake, he flipped open the computer on his left arm. Thankfully it had not been harmed. As he closed the device, Venom walked toward him.

"_We… apologize for attacking you. The Empress… she got inside our mind…"_

He held up his hand for silence.

"_I felt her power. You are not at fault."_

Venom nodded. He looked toward the ocean as he heard the sound of explosions. The incendiary weapons on Deadpool's vehicle, no doubt. He heard Spider-Man's transmission device and moved closer to hear it.

"_Hey guys! The Empress and I were just playing a game of tag. And since I'm out of bullets and missiles, it looks like she's it. I'm coming in!"_

He looked at his comrades and thought. The only way for the bomb to work would be if he attached it to her and set it to implode. And explosion would destroy them all, as well as a good portion of the city they had worked so hard to save. That left only one option.

"_You must both use your webbing to restrain her while I attach the bomb."_

Spider-Man spoke.

"_Wait, either Venom or myself could attach to her more easily."_

"_But you do not know how to arm the device. It must be me."_

Spider-Man nodded and squeezed his device and spoke.

"_Deadpool: do you have time to pick one of us up?"_

"_Maybe, probably, no! She's right on my ass!"_

"_Alright then, just get her as close to the statue as you can._

"_Roger Daltry on that."_

Deadpool's helicopter was visible now, and moving toward them quickly. He secured his disc at his side and retracted his wrist blades. Spider-Man stood at the edge of the statue and used his webbing to secure himself while Venom merely waited. He waited intently, and finally Deadpool passed quickly overhead with the Empress just behind him. As the she-beast passed over their heads Venom and Spider-Man fired their webs up… attached…and held! He heard the statue creak against the force and heard both of his comrades straining against her, with Spider-Man coming loose from his security webbing. She screeched against the webbing holding her back and thrashed her tail around. He moved forward quickly to help Spider-Man, but the Empress's tail snapped his line. He heard Venom's groans of resistance. There was little time, and he could not climb the web before her tail snapped it! He looked over at Spider-Man, and an idea formed. It was Spider-Man's webbing that had snapped, rather than he. He was definitely strong enough.

"_Throw me!"_

Without hesitation he felt Spider-Man grab him by the armor on his back and his belt, swing him around once, and throw him upward toward Venom's web. As he felt the force of gravity taking over, he gripped the black wire and secured himself to it. He heard Venom's frustrated roar before he suddenly felt his release his webbing. The Empress burst forward with he dangling from her. At least they had given him enough time. He quickly ascended the line, which had attached to the spot between her tail and her left leg. As he reached her, he pulled his disc from his belt and stabbed it into her to keep hold. She screeched in pain and looked back toward him. His attempt to hide behind her leg apparently had no effect.

"_Why do you persist, Warden? You know you cannot stop me. I am superior."_

He taunted her as he climbed up her back, using his disc to hold himself in place as she tried to shake him off.

"_How could a superior being be fooled such an obvious ruse?"_

He reached up with his left hand, took hold of one of the ridges on her back, and lifted himself up again. Her clubbed hand came back to strike him, but he rolled over and slashed at it with his disc. Her leg kicked up at him now, but he lifted himself fully onto her back.

"_Once I overcome these primitive instincts, I and my children will rule this world…"_

He grabbed hold of her left dorsal spike, leaving his disc. as she ducked and weaved through the air, attempting to throw him off. He had to free his right hand if her was going to arm the bomb! But she continued to move; rising, falling, rolling through the sky in desperate attempt to shake him. But he refused to give up now that he had come so far.

He tried, but he could not release her spike without being dismounted. He needed to interrupt her flight. He looked back toward his disc, focusing on it. Soon enough it came free from her armored hide and he grasped it in his outstretched right hand. If there was ever a time to do it, it was now. He flipped the disc vertically and used it to hook into her spike.

"_You think I will allow you to destroy me so easily?"_

Fortunately he was out of reach of her hand and mouth, and her clubbed arm was no threat. But she could hear his thoughts, and that was very bad. He aimed his right arm at the spot behind her head and under her armor, as close to her neck as possible, and fired both blades from his wrist. She screeched as the blades connected, and he went about his work quickly in the small window of time she would be disoriented by pain. He opened the device on his left arm and set the timer for the explosive, making sure to set it for implosion and give himself enough time to escape. She rolled left and right trying to shake his concentration, but he succeeded in arming the device.

Now all there was to do was bond it to her somehow. If he used his disc he risked shorting it out or the blood eating it before it could detonate. If only he had some kind of adhesive. He looked around her back for a crook or spot in her armor to jam the device when his eyes fell upon his knees. Spider-Man's webbing. Perfect! He reached down and ripped a large piece from his weaker left knee and attached it to the device as delicately as he could to avoid wearing away the adhesiveness. He kneeled down while holding on to the spike and jammed the sticky device into a chipped-away section of her armor. As he reached for the button to arm it, she flipped over backwards, the unexpected motion loosing his grip. He reached his arm as… far… as… it… would… go… there! A small whining sound began as the bomb ticked away. She flipped over again, and he released his grip on the spike, falling through the air. But as he fell, she flipped completely over and noticed him falling below her. Damn!

"_If I must die, you will die with me!"_

She narrowed herself to catch up to him and clamped her jaws around him. The pain surged through his body as she clamped down, cracking his bones.

"_There is a saying on this planet that I believe pertains to this situation: Fuck You!"_

He slashed her across her face with his disc before stabbing twice. She screamed and he pulled himself out of her open mouth kicking off of and away from her before throwing his disc into her nearest wing. He watched as she fell screaming through the sky with one wing pinned to her body, furiously struggling and flapping the other one. He watched as she collided hard with the water. With her wings it would be more difficult to swim. And the bomb would still detonate underwater.

As he fell through the sky, perhaps to his doom, he pondered. He was angry that he could not have changed the High Council's policies for the better, and destroyed all of the Xenomoprhs. But he was glad that he could have saved a civilization from certain destruction. Not many warriors were able to do such a thing. His mind wandered to the warriors of the planet that he had come to know as comrades. Venom, Spider-Man, and even perhaps Deadpool. All such worthy warriors; the likes of which he had not come across in many decades. But perhaps he would be worthy to be among the great chosen warriors in the afterlife. In the end, Death is the only opponent that defeats us all. He shifted his weight so as to fall to the water as narrowly as possible, laying his arms across his chest, watching as the Empress rose to the surface of the water, and the explosive taking effect. A great blue flash and a ripple expanded from the device before instantly retracting, along with the Empress, and sealing itself away. Perhaps another dimension. Satisfied, he cleared his mind and closed his eyes as he felt the heavy impact of the water.

The pain was enormous. Flowing up his body from his feet to his knees, waist, chest, and finally his head. It felt as if his old body would be torn apart from the inside. And suddenly he felt himself stop moving. As if the entire universe had frozen in place. He heard no sounds, smelled no scents, and tasted no flavors. Yes, he was dead. He felt the cold embrace of Death around him and the sensation of being lifted to some higher plane. But as he rose higher and higher, something changed. Suddenly he burst through some kind of barrier, and all around him was bright. The afterlife? He opened his eyes and looked around. There was Spider-Man, holding him up as they floated at the surface of the water. The sky overhead had cleared into a medium blue, and the helicopter flew just over their heads. Spider-Man spoke.

"_Hunter? Are you alright?"_

He could only chuckle to himself at the question. Such an old fool he was.

* * *

Soon enough, the helicopter had come to rest again on Liberty Island. He had seen what looked like an implosion, and when they had arrived over Hunter the Empress was gone. Hunter had done it. They had all done it. Saved the world again. No matter how many times he had done it before, it never lost it's luster. They had all needed a rest, and he laid his head back against the chopper for a moment. Thoughts of Mary-Jane and Aunt May flooded his mind, along with the relief that he'd be seeing them again. He could have cried. He couldn't wait to taste Aunt May's cooking again. And he couldn't wait to taste Mary-Jane again.

He released a sigh of relief and began to drift off to sleep when he suddenly felt a pressure under his chin. Now what? He opened his eyes and found himself staring up at another Predator! This one's spear was pressed up against his neck. And even with the mask on, he could tell he didn't look too happy. He could only raise his hands in innocence before looking over at the other sleeping members on the group. He could feel the spear against his Adam's apple as he spoke.

"_Uh, haha, Hunter! You're friends are here!"_

He darted his eyes back and forth nervously between the Predator and Hunter as he stirred. When the two made eye-contact, Hunter made some kind of strange sounds, like clicking and purring. The other Predator looked down at him.

"_See? He's alright! Can I have my throat back now? Please?"_

He felt a wave of relief as the Predator removed the spear. He rubbed his neck and looked over to the outside of the chopper toward the center of the island. A giant wall of light sat just over the grass. And more Predators were coming from it. This spear Predator grunted and motioned in the air. Two Predators came from the light carrying a stretcher of some kind. He heard small moans and looked over as Venom and Deadpool woke up. Venom instantly raised himself to attack, but Hunter held up his hand in restraint.

The three Predators grabbed hold of Hunter, moved him onto the stretcher and carried him toward the light, which he now recognized as a doorway. He looked up and around, seeing the invisible ship that surrounded it. He couldn't help but marvel at the technology. He snapped himself out of his trance. The Predators had stopped in front of the doorway and Hunter was waving at them; beckoning them forward. He lifted himself out of the helicopter and walked forward; Venom and Deadpool behind him. As they approached Hunter raised his hands to his mask and pulled out two of the small tubes just as he had done in the Baxter Building. As they stood beside him he lifted the mask off of his face and placed it on his chest.

Venom lifted a hand toward Deadpool's face, but slowly, almost disappointedly, dropped it. He was probably expecting a backhanded comment. He guessed that even Deadpool had manners. Sometimes. He looked back down at Hunter. His mandibles barely covering his piranha-toothed mouth. Numerous battle scars ran across the pale green skin of his shrunken-in head. He could see the weariness in his tired beady eyes.

"_I have no words to describe how grateful I am that I could have saved a planet which has spawned such warriors."_

Hunter extended his right hand toward him. He shook it. But there was something nagging at the back of his mind that he had to ask.

"_Why did you stop me, back there? From using the…_

"_Because any warrior willing to give their life for the greater good deserves to keep it. And I would pity a planet without as warrior such as you."_

He could only smile under his mask at the kind words. Yup. Saving the world never lost it's luster.

* * *

Parker stepped back and they moved forward. It was a bit sad to see their comrade go. They would miss him. And they would miss killing Xenomorphs alongside him. They stood there, not knowing what to say exactly. In good fortune, Hunter spoke first.

"_You asked me if it were possible to come with me. Do you still want to know?"_

They had forgotten that. They stood there, pondering. They looked around to inspire their thoughts. They looked at the trees, the grass, the statue, Deadpool and even… Parker. And they knew they could never give up this world.

"_Sorry. No. We have found our place here again. And we have had more than our fill of Xenomorphs. But thank you."_

Hunter chuckled heartily through his mandibles before extending his hand. They shook it.

"_Yes, indeed. Very well. It has been an honor fighting beside you."_

"_Likewise."_

They looked toward the sky as they stepped back.

* * *

Yay! It was his turn. He wondered what kinds of praise Hunter would rain down on him. Brilliant artist in the art of fighting, expert pilot, the best Xenomorph killer this side of the galaxy, something around their. He kept his composure, puffing out his chest a bit as he approached.

"_Hunter, baby, it's been loads of fun."_

Hunter grumbled as he spoke. Obviously in admiration and sadness because even he wasn't as great as he was.

"_Deadpool. You are… a good warrior. But I pray we never cross paths again."_

Hunter gave him a good handshake. Yay! He was part of a group he wasn't really embarrassed to call himself a part of! He leaned in and whispered to Hunter.

"_I know what it's like to have to wear a mask. But hey; it's just another weapon to scare the shit out of our enemies, right?"_

Hunter growled again and broke their handshake. The truth wasn't easy for everyone.

* * *

He watched as Deadpool stepped back. It kind of looked like Hunter pushed him away. Hunter looked over at the three of them and spoke.

"_You are all worthy warriors. And no trinket or weapon could ever express my respect." _

Hunter spoke in his language to the other Predators, and they began moving again, toward the light.

"_May we meet again someday under better circumstances."_

He watched as the group of aliens disappeared into the ship, which became visible as the hatch closed over the door. He heard the engines fire up as the ship lifted high into the sky, over the statue, before blasting through the sky toward the setting sun and disappearing. It must have been at least six o' clock now. He stared toward the sunset, watching the colors in the clouds. Like cotton candy. It was a great moment. Deadpool spoke.

"_Well, that was fun. Anybody for pizza?"_

Great things never last.

* * *

_Author's Note: And that's the end. At last, the Battle of Liberty Island is over. Now that I think about it, that should have been a chapter title. Oh well. Don't worry, Hunter's not through yet. I've got one more chapter to write. And I hope you'll all join me for the very end. Thank you all so much for reading, and have a nice day!_


	33. Fury, War, & Popcorn

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE  
Fury, War, and Popcorn

* * *

_Author's Note: Spoiler Alert, this is not the last chapter. I've been working on it too long, and now I have to slice it up into 3 chapters. I'm working on the third right now, but I hope you few remaining readers will enjoy them. On with the tale!_

* * *

"_Listen, Yutani! I already spoke with your pal Weyland today, and I'm giving you the same answer I gave him: fuck off!"_

He slammed the telephone down on the receiver. Company pricks. Always looking to dig their heels into anything for a profit. The day he put information on that abomination-of-a-species into the hands of a businessman was the day he lost his last eye. He ran his hands through his hair and tried to get back on task. It had been three days since the Empress was killed, and he was up to his ears in paperwork. And those company parasites weren't helping anything! He sorted through the mountain of forms on his desk. Repair contracts, museum deals for the alien leftovers, the blueprints for the New York headquarters, and endless clean-up crews. Thank God above that the S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite had picked up a transmission from the Shi' ar Empire. They sent a kind of chemical recipe for dissolving the Xenomorph webbing shit. Fire worked fine, but he didn't need to take chances on another disaster. Most of the civilians had already moved back into their homes, and some were helping with the reconstruction. But he was probably already looking at the demolition and reconstruction of eight major buildings. He was using an office on the Helicarrier at the moment. Fucking space-lizards.

Speaking of the cause of all this Hell, he looked through the mess on his desk for a certain status report. Unable to find it, he growled in frustration and picked up the telephone on his desk again, pressing the speed-dial button for the Science Department. He tapped his fingers on the desk impatiently as it rang. Finally someone picked it up.

"_Science Department."_

"_Colonel Fury here. Where are we with moving the Hive?"_

"_One moment. The freighter landed at Antarctica early this morning."_

"_Thank you. That's all."_

He put the phone down again. He could rest a little easier again. The scientists at the S.H.I.E.L.D. Antarctic Base would probably study that giant spitball from now to oblivion. He didn't know what they'd find in it, and he didn't care as long as the threat was neutralized. He returned his attention to the stack of forms. At least one hundred fucking signatures he had to give yet. Fuck it. He hated this tedious deskwork bullshit. He leaned back in his chair to relax. But the pain in his gut flared up again. Fucking aliens. He relaxed a bit and opened his bottom right drawer, pulling out a fresh cigar. He pulled his lighter from his left pocket and lit the piece of heaven, letting the flavor fill him up. Sometimes he wondered why he kept this job; why he fought so hard for it. It was moments like these; when he could just relax with the knowledge that he'd done his duty as a soldier and preserved the human race. And if he had a prayer in the world, this whole mess would blow over without a hitch. He knew it would. He let the smoke slide out of his mouth before putting the cigar between his teeth again. His kind of prayer.

* * *

His alarm clock sent him sprawling out of bed across the room to turn it off. Noon already? That song "It's the End of the World As We Know It" was playing. In his tired stupidity, he forgot how to turn the alarm off. He rubbed his head and looked around the room, spotting Lefty. Suddenly he remembered how to turn the alarm off. He picked up his sword and sliced the clock in half, sending pieces of plastic everywhere. Stupid song had been playing every day since the alien attack. On _every_ station. Even _he_ was getting annoyed. He lifted Lefty over his shoulder and made his way to his kitchen in his socks, underwear, t-shirt, and mask. He had decided to sleep late today. And since he wasn't going out, he didn't bother getting dressed. The assassinations could wait for tomorrow. From the sheer volume of calls he got, he figured his fame of defeating the Empress single-handedly had gotten out, and he was THE gun for hire in America. He smiled beneath his mask at the thought of a parade in his honor moving through New York. Okay, he was exaggerating. But why not?

He yawned as he flicked the kitchen light on and reached into the fridge for a few eggs. He pulled a pan from the cupboard next to the oven and placed it on the burner. Using Lefty, he cut himself a nice piece of butter from the stick and spattered it on the pan before breaking the eggs into it. He pulled a paper towel and wiped off Lefty, cutting his hand open momentarily. The wound closed as quickly as it opened and he thought. He'd be a great emo. He laughed to himself again as he thought of those teenagers with their stupid Japanese hairstyles and makeup. He stared over at his pile of rented DVD's on his counter and remembered his plans for today. He reached into the overhead cupboard and pulled out a bowl, a paper plate, & bag of popcorn, throwing it in the microwave for three minutes. Today was going to be great! No stupid training, no yakkity-yak, and NO aliens. Just a day of great movies and mastur… nevermind.

He heard the eggs sizzling and pulled out a spatula to flip them. Spatula. Spa-chew-la. Spat-uh-la. That's a funny word. He flipped the eggs on to the paper plate and set them on the counter, turning off the stove. He looked and noticed there were only thirty seconds left on the microwave! He leaped over his counter into the living room, grabbing the top DVD as he did so. He landed in a role next to his comfy chair, opened the case, and threw the DVD into his open-insert player. He rolled forward and pressed the power button on his television before rolling backward into his comfy chair and on to his feet. The microwave beeped as he made his way back to the kitchen. Awesome. He opened the door and emptied the back of fluffy goodness into the bowl before making his way to the living room with his eggs and popcorn. He sat down as the DVD got to the menu. First up, "The Matrix" trilogy followed by "Forrest Gump," "Reign of Fire," and "Reservoir Dogs." Now that Tarantino guy had talent. He pulled the DVD remote from the inside of the chair and clicked the play button. He lifted his mask just enough to get food in, and shoveled a handful of popcorn into his mouth. He looked down at his plate of eggs and realized he had no fork, and the opening credits were starting! He contemplated uprooting himself from his comfy spot, but looked down at the popcorn again and thought better of it. He pulled a single piece of popcorn from the bowl and dipped it into the egg yoke. He raised the concoction of laziness to his mouth before stopping and staring upward, as if into another world.

"_What were you expecting? Guns and glory?"_

He blew a raspberry at the ceiling and focused on the opening credits of the film.

* * *

He sighed heartily to himself as he flew through the clear bright afternoon sky over the city. Busy, busy, day. He had barely slept the night before, as it had only been a few days since the incident on the Raft and most of the buildings still needed work. As War Machine he'd been trying to help out as much as possible. Construction, demolition; this suit was good for almost anything. It was almost too bad Tony never let the designs out. Tony. That son of a bitch. First Fury said he was dead, then he shows up unharmed in that true asshole fashion. Just like he'd done before. But it really wasn't his fault. Not this time, anyway. He noticed Tony's tower in the distance. Lucky for Tony it hadn't been touched by the aliens. He, on the other hand, hadn't been so lucky. The only weapon he had left was his repulsers, and even they were running out of power.

Tony was knocked out when he saw him on the Raft, so they hadn't talked. Richards was able to siphon off a bit of the Raft's reserve power to recharge his suit, but by the time he had gotten to Liberty Island the fight was over. And the suit was running low on power now. He was just able to sustain flight, but only because his weapons were gone. As much as the idea put a bad taste in his mouth, Tony was the only one he could turn to. He adjusted his course and headed straight for the tower. He hated having to rely on that dick for all his repairs and recharging. Tony had taken advantage of his trust and their friendship too many times for his own purposes, each time coming back like nothing had happened. They hadn't really been friends for a long time. He slowed down a bit and straightened himself up as he arrived at the tower. He hovered in front of the top floor viewing window for a few moments. The roof hatch was closed, and he didn't dare touch the glass in case the security system was on. He watched through the glass as Jarvis, Tony's butler, made his way to the window and opened it for him.

"_May I help you?"_

"_Is Tony here?"_

"_No, he's out at the moment. May I be of assistance?"_

"_I'm running a bit low on power."_

"_And you seem to be missing a few appendages as well, 'War Machine'"_

Jarvis pointed to his shoulders where the weapons had been. He was one of the few people who knew his identity as War Machine. He quickly flew inside, careful not to singe the window ledge, and landed beside Jarvis as he closed the window. Jarvis was wearing his usual black dress pants and white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, indicating that he was probably working on something.

"_Come this way. You can disarm and wait for Mr. Stark in the lounge."_

"_Thanks Jarvis."_

"_My pleasure, sir."_

He followed the old butler out of the viewing room and down a hallway. They stopped at the very last door, which Jarvis opened with a retinal scan. The door slid open and Jarvis beckoned him inside.

"_Just leave it in here and I'll tidy up afterward. Will you be needing any clothes?"_

"_No thanks, I'm good."_

Jarvis nodded and he stepped inside as the door slid closed again. He turned and looked at his new surroundings. Tony's workshop. Tables cluttered in gadgets and designs nearly covered the room with just enough space to walk around. Just like Tony to not be there when he's needed. Probably out putting the bars back in business or gathering that alien gunk for some kind of experiment.

He found a table that was relatively bare and stood in front of it, initializing the disarming sequence for the armor. He felt the helmet lock shrink back into the torso and pulled it off, placing it on the table. The gauntlets came next. He looked around a bit more, toward the armor case and noticed the suit was gone. Typical Tony; always had to show off the armor like a new pair of sunglasses just because everybody found him out. He practically lived in that suit. He felt the boot locks open and sat on the chair next to the table to remove them. At least there was a little shoe room in this contraption. He stood up again and the torso locks opened, allowing him to open himself up like a tin can and shed the torso like a vest. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck, finally free of it. He was wearing a red t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Thank God that suit had air conditioning. He made sure everything was neat and safe on the table before walking back out of the room, which locked behind him again.

As he walked down the hallway, he heard whispering voices, followed by a loud bump, as if something hit the floor. He froze. Tony never let anyone up here. He moved up against the wall to his left and began sidling down the hallway. He instinctively reached for his side-arm, but grasped nothing but air. If this was an intruder, he had no way to fight them off without the suit! Damn it Rhodes, bad timing. After a major disaster was the perfect time for looters and thieves to move in; everyone was busy with repairs. He heard more shuffling around as he moved quietly. He could hear footsteps moving back and forth on the carpeted floor. He came to an open door. As he tried to carefully extend his neck to look around the door frame, he caught a glimpse of the room across from him. There, lying face down unmoving on the carpet, was Jarvis. Oh, Jesus no! Why would Tony leave him unprotected? He didn't see any blood. He could just be knocked out. In his distress he forced himself to cross the wide hallway in a rush. But as he was moving, he heard heavy footfalls behind him followed by someone grabbing hold of the back of his shirt. Shit! He instinctively whirled around in a roundhouse kick toward his assailant. It felt like he had kicked a brick wall! Before he could turn around, he felt himself lifted off his feet followed by his right arm being wrenched behind his back. He squeezed his eyes shut in pain.

"_Okay pal, who are ya and whaddya doin' here?"_

He recognized that voice. But from where? Suddenly he heard footsteps in front of him and looked up. Jarvis stood up and dusted himself off before making his way over to him. What the...?

"_Oh dear! Mr. Grimm, you may release him. He is an old friend."_

He felt himself being lowered back to the ground and his arm released. He backed away so that he could see both men at once. Sure enough, Ben Grimm stood before him. This didn't make any sense!

"_Jarvis, are you alright?"_

Jarvis looked back at him, perplexed.

"_Quite alright, sir. Is there something wrong?"_

"_I heard footsteps and voices, and then I saw you lying there..."_

"_Young Franklin and I were just playing a bit of cops and robbers. My apologies."_

Suddenly a small blonde boy, no older than ten, stepped out from behind Jarvis.

"_Mr. Jarvis, dead people can't walk or talk."_

"_Sorry my boy, but we have a visitor. This is Mr. Rhodes. Say hello."_

The small boy looked up at him and smiled.

"_Hello Mr. Rhodes. I'm Franklin. Nice to meet you."_

The little boy stuck out his hand and he reluctantly shook it before looking back up at Jarvis.

"_What's going on here?"_

"_Oh, forgive me. Mr. Stark is allowing Mr. Grimm and the Richards family to stay here whilst the Baxter Building is being rebuilt."_

Now things were starting to make sense. Suddenly someone else stepped into the hallway from Grimm's side. It was Reed Richards; Mr. Fantastic.

"_What's going on out here? Oh, hello."_

Little Franklin ran up and into his father's arms as Jarvis spoke.

"_My apologies. Mr. Grimm, Mr. Richards, this is Mr. Rhodes."_

Mr. Fantastic stretched his arm out to meet his hand, and they shook.

"_Nice to meet you, Mr. Rhodes."_

"_Likewise, uh, Mr. Richards. Call me Rhodey."_

He almost forgot that he hadn't met the Fantastic Four as Jim Rhodes. Who lived in their suit now, asshole? Grimm simply waved at him. Looking at those mitts, the only people he ever shook hands with were Thor and the Hulk. Jarvis piped in again.

"_Why don't you join us in the lounge to wait for Mr. Stark?"_

"_Uh... sure. Thanks Jarvis."_

He followed the others into the lounge, which was wall-to-wall carpeting with a massive circular couch and a piano against the out-facing window. Mrs. Richards and her daughter were sitting next to each other at the piano, talking. Jarvis once again made the introductions before he sat down on the massive couch with his back to the door. Grimm was sitting a few feet away, lounging back as if he hadn't been able to in years.

"_Aww yeah. Stark always gets the good stuff, eh Rhodes?"_

He replied, deep in thought.

"_Yeah. That's Tony."_

Maybe he'd been wrong about Tony. Hell, maybe the guy had changed. Letting the whole family stay in his beloved New York penthouse was more generous than he'd taken him for. The sound of the roof hatch opening pulled him out of his thoughts. He looked back out through the lounge doorway to try and catch a glimpse of what was going on. He heard the sound of boosters switching off followed by a few quick footsteps. Soon enough, Tony stood in the doorway fully armored with two big brown bags.

"_Hey everyone. Sorry I'm late, I got hung up on a few construction jobs around town."_

He threw one of the bags to Ben, who began looking through it.

"_Got you some pants, Ben. Hope they're big enough."_

"_Hey, thanks Stark."_

"_No problem. Reed, think fast!"_

He tossed the second bag high in the air, allowing Mr. Fantastic to stretch his arm out and grab it from his seat at the piano with his family.

"_Some clothes for you, Sue, and the kids."_

"_Thanks a lot, Tony."_

"_No problem. Oh. Hey Rhodey."_

He finally noticed him sitting right next to him. He stood up, eye-level with him.

"_Tony."_

"_Excuse me, folks. Mr. Rhodes and I have a bit of catching up to do."_

He followed Tony down the hallway back toward the workshop, taking off his helmet off as he went.

"_What's up, Rhodey? You need your batteries replaced, or are you here on actual Air Force business?"_

"_You know the only reason I would ever come back here."_

"_And that's a shame."_

Tony allowed the workshop door to scan his eye before the door opened and they stepped inside. He followed Tony as they both walked across the room to where the armor case stood.

"_Why don't we talk anymore, Rhodey?"_

"_Because you abused my trust for your own purposes."_

Tony stepped up on the platform in front of the case as arms extended out from it and proceeded to remove the suit.

"_And I'm sorry about that. But sometimes things simply have to be done. You know all about military protocol; need-to-know basis-type information."_

"_But that's the problem, Tony. This isn't the military this is a friendship. And there was no reason for me not to know. You could have clued me in, made me a part of the plan, extended a little fucking trust toward me like I did to you!"_

His insides burned in anger, locking eyes with Tony as he stepped off the platform; the suit back inside it's housing.

"_Rhodey... I'm sorry. I regret the decisions I made toward you, and I've missed our friendship. I've been trying to be a better man since I started wearing this suit, but I guess I never really stopped to think about becoming a better friend. You're a great guy, Rhodey, and I'd trust you with my life. But maybe I'm not quite deserving of that kind of friendship. It's just... it's a complicated lifestyle we heroes live, and I know that's no excuse, but what more can I say? I'm sorry."_

As he looked into his old friend's eyes, his rage subsided. Hearing all that just struck a chord with him. He'd heard apologies before, but not like this. For the first time in a long time, he saw that kind of vulnerable humanity in Tony's eyes. He really was trying to better himself. And it takes a real man, and a real friend, to admit when they're wrong. He just stood there, staring into Tony's eyes, as he realized what an asshole he'd been. He'd never been so glad to be proven wrong. Tony suddenly gave him one of those confident looks, but that little bit of humanity stayed in his eyes.

"_So... what do you say we fix up this suit of yours... friend?"_

Tony raised his hand for a handshake. He said 'friend' as if he were asking permission. He couldn't make any other choice. He took the hand and shook it.

"_I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."_

He couldn't help but smile. It felt as if he got back something precious he'd lost a long time ago. Like a brother had come back from some faraway place. Tony smiled right back. Everything felt... all right again. They broke the handshake simultaneously. Tony spoke first after throwing his arm over his shoulder, both turning toward the table where the War Machine armor sat. The half-smile on Tony's face indicated one of his classic semi-serious conversations. He'd never been happier to play along.

"_So, what the Hell have you been doing to this thing?"_

"_Oh, you know; fighting aliens, invading prisons, blowing up buildings; saving the world-type stuff. Now not a word of this mush gets out, alright? We're superheroes. We got to keep up appearances."_

"_Hey; forgotten. Somebody asks me about you; heart of steel."_

"_I'm serious! War Machine can't some bleeding heart."_

"_Well, who's going to think that with a .60 caliber turret staring them in the face?"_

"_You can get me another one of those?"_

"_At least."_

"_Oh, man, this is gonna be fun."_

"_Kinda like woodshop on steroids."_

They shared a laugh as they began putting the plans together for their new design, brothers-in-arms once more.


	34. Lost & Found

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR  
Lost & Found

She saw Logan leaping at the creature, shredding it apart in her memories. All these warm feelings she held for him, just for being that man that he is. So brave, confident, and selfless. And yet he had that free, uninhibited 'hell with the rules' side that just drove her wild. He was the epitome of the big strong man ready to stand and protect his lover, just the man that he is. The man that he is. The man he is is a wanderer; a free spirit with his own agendas and his own life to live. She'd seen him come and go so many times, it was difficult to rely on him. It was so hard to care about him when he was so rarely here to care for. It wasn't just that she worried, it was about closeness. And she didn't want to live that way; having to get over him every time he leaves only to have him come back and fall for him all over again. What to do? What to do? Her thoughts drifted back to those old flower games of 'he loves me, he loves me not.' But with Logan it was like pulling leaves off of a tree. He was never very emotional, and she didn't know if either of them could admit to each other their feelings. Suddenly she felt warm, strong arms wrap around her. They gently caressed her in a loving embrace. She heard his voice accompany those arms.

"_I'm here now."_

Her conflicting thoughts faded away in the face of this sudden warmth. Her whole body practically glowed in... was it love? She couldn't say. But all she knew it that it felt so good. She called out his name in a hushed tone.

"_Logan..."_

Suddenly her eyes snapped open. She looked around and realized where she was. She was in her room at the Mansion, lying on her soft bed. The whole day suddenly came flooding back to her as she registered that it had all been a dream. In the bottom of her mind she felt a sense of sadness and disappointment. She and the other members of the team had just gotten back from a day of helping out around the city when she had laid down to take a nap. She closed her eyes again and wriggled a little bit only to realize that those arms from her dream were still wrapped around her stomach and looked over her shoulder. Scott smiled back at her with sunglasses glinting in the light of the window she had been facing. He reached down and kissed her neck.

"_Hey sleepyhead."_

She remembered back to the day of their wedding. He said that same thing as they woke up together, waiting to start the rest of their lives as a couple. And she could practically feel the love and affection radiating from him through their mental link. She smiled again and, with Logan completely out of her mind, lifted his chin up to face her. She rolled over to face him and kissed him deeply. He was such a sweetheart. He was always there for her in good times and bad. He had that kind of meek, refined strength about him even when he wasn't leading the X-Men against some strange menace. He spoke as their second kiss broke.

"_I love you."_

"_I love you too."_

He began kissing down her chin and around her neck, driving her wild. Their lovely and passionate thoughts bounced back and forth through their link, practically drowning her in a sea of warm fuzziness. It relaxed her mind and let it spread all over the mansion. He always knew just what to say and when to say it. Always knew just what to do and when to do it. He was such a strong man, yet he was so open emotionally. Unlike Logan... Logan!

Lumped in with the barely-audible thoughts of her students and teammates she saw a mental image of Logan at the door of the mansion. He was leaving again! _No, not yet! Wait!_ She pleaded in her head to no avail. She opened her eyes to find Scott was still holding her. She had to move quickly, but she didn't want to hurt or offend him. She put her left hand to the back of his head and he looked up from her collarbone.

"_What is it?"_

"_Sorry, baby. I'm... just not feeling up to it right now."_

He immediately lifted himself off of her and sat back on the bed.

"_Are you okay?"_

"_Yeah. I think I'm just going to go for a run around the grounds and take a shower."_

"_Alright. You want me to come with you?"_

"_No thanks. I just need a bit of alone time."_

"_I understand. Have fun."_

She pulled herself off the bed and gave him one last kiss before dashing out of the room. She could barely feel Logan. He was on the outskirts of the grounds by now. Damn! She hurried down the hallway to the mansion foyer and descended the large stairway two steps at a time. She ran to the front door and pulled it open, looking out over the massive lawn and garden for any sign of him. She focused her telepathy over the grounds and beyond the gates of the mansion that met the horizon. Nothing. The sun was sinking into late afternoon now. Maybe about six o' clock. She sighed in disappointment and held the door open for a few students coming back inside.

"_Thank you Mrs. Summers."_

That's right. She had almost forgotten that she was officially Mrs. Jean Summers. She had to stop acting like this! She was married for Christ's sake! She stared at the setting sun for a few more seconds before closing the door. She turned around, leaned against the oak door, and closed her eyes to gather her thoughts. Maybe a cold glass of something would help ease her mental distress. As she opened her eyes again she spotted Jubilee coming from one of the back rooms.

"_Hi Jean."_

"_Hello."_

"_Are you looking for Logan? Cuz he just went out the back door a few minutes ago."_

Before she could even think about what she was doing, she darted down the hallway toward the back lawn. Maybe she could still catch him! She arrived in the rear foyer, pulled open the door and stepped outside into the cool breeze. She looked around the massive backyard filled with a pool, a greenhouse, and two large sport courts. Her mind spread over the lawn instantly, searching for that familiar psyche. But again, she turned up nothing. Just the students playing and Hank in the greenhouse tending to Ororo's plants. She looked back toward the woods beyond the grounds. Logan was probably deep in there now. The notion to chase after him surfaced, but she held it back. She had to convince herself that this was how it was always going to be. He would never be there when she needed him. He would always be distant, mentally and physically. They just didn't seem to have room in their lives for each other, and that was that. Logan was a wild blaze; a risky passion that came and went without warning. But Scott was that warm, caring, fire in that would always be burning for her whatever happened. She loved him, and she felt no shame in that. But then why would giving up Logan be so difficult? She pondered for a moment before the answer hit her. Because life was difficult, of course. Nothing worth having comes easy. She gave one last look toward the woods before closing the back door again. She couldn't keep a smile from spreading across her face as she walked back toward her bedroom, and her loving husband.

* * *

He trekked through the thick forest at a walking pace, hopping over roots and bushes every now and then. He got a good workout helping around in the city. Did his heart good to see mutants and regular people working together. Just a shame it takes a disaster to do it. He just wished he could have been part of the action taking down that giant alien queen. Those hybrid suckers were tough. A queen could have been a lot of fun. At least it was all over, and everyone was all right. He had hung out at the mansion for a while, cooling his heels with the team and the kids. He always liked seeing them again.

But who was he kidding? It was Jean that really kept him coming back. He could still smell her sweet scent. He'd tried to work as close to her as he could when they were helping out, but they didn't get to talk very much. And she was bushed when they got back, so she immediately went upstairs for some shuteye. He had thought about waiting, but decided against it. He didn't want to get bogged down, and before he knew it, he couldn't leave again. That, and seeing Summers follow her upstairs just kind of made him see things as they were. Jean was married. Happily married. And that was that. As strong as his feelings were for her, he wasn't about to break up a happy marriage. Summers pissed him off to no end, but he was a good man. And Jean deserved to be with a good man, not the kind of guy who had to wrestle with the animal within on a daily basis. He had too much baggage to carry. There was always something telling him that it just wasn't meant to be. And as hard as it would be to get over her, it had to be done.

As this not-so-sudden realization came over him, he decided to take a short breather and leaned his back up against a tree. He let his duffel bag fall off his shoulder to the ground. He had to go all the way back down to Josey's Bar to pick the damn thing up. He'd forgotten all about it when he left to look for Jean and Jubilee. Thankfully he'd had his clothes washed before leaving the mansion. But now that he thought about it, he didn't remember if he'd gotten everything out of the dryer. He hunched over and started looking through it, just to make sure he had everything. Shirts, pants, underwear, socks, map... and the Predator necklace. He'd forgotten all about it. That thing had put up one Hell of a fight. A token from a fallen warrior. As he placed it back in the bag, he was reminded why he had left out the back of the Mansion.

Speaking of tokens from fallen warriors, he zipped up the bag and reached into the left chest pocket of his new jean jacket. He pulled out a folded up piece of paper; the note for Private Treavers's mother. Written on one side was the address. He wanted to deliver it personally, as the man who'd watched him die in his arms. It would probably be weeks or months before S.H.I.E.L.D. sent out an official memorial. He was a good kid. A good soldier. And he wouldn't want his mother worrying. He was obliged to honor the kid's wishes. After looking over the address he placed it back in his pocket, patting it down to keep it secure. He stood back up and looked toward the sky for some direction. Unable to see through the thick trees, he turned and began climbing the one he had been leaning on.

As he broke through the treetops, he looked around and got a clear view of the whole forest. The lush green leaves waved in the wind, like an ocean of life. He looked back toward the Mansion, with the sun floating just above it. He stared back at what little of the building he could still see from this distance. He gave a kind of half-smile, knowing he'd be back soon enough. But for right now, the Treavers house was due-East. He now knew he was heading in the right direction. He slid back down the tree trunk and slipped his bag back over his shoulders before taking off again. He only had about half an hour of light left, so he picked up his pace as he made his way through the brush toward his destination.

* * *

He made his way down the gritty streets of the city. He was still pretty beat-up after what had happened on the Raft, but he felt well enough to walk now. He was a bit pissed off that he'd had to blow up his van. It would have made the whole operation go a lot smoother. Every now and then he'd pass a few people working to put up a beam, fix a roof, replace a window; the various odd-jobs an alien invasion called for. Each time he passed a group that seemed a man too short, they looked at him, as if they were about to ask for a hand. But as soon as they saw the skull on his shirt & what he held in his hands, they backed off without a word. He wouldn't have had a problem giving a hand here and there if this particular job wasn't so important. He should have done it sooner, before this whole mess started. Just in case he had died on the Raft, at least he could have died knowing he had done this one last thing. In fact, this was what kept rolling over and over in his mind, and was probably what kept him alive while Richards was sewing him back together. It wasn't a local gang he wanted to break up, or a drug ring, or even a surfacing mafia. This was something bigger. He stopped on the sidewalk and turned to face his destination. The usual nervousness crept over his thoughts, and left just as quickly. He exhaled a heavy breath before moving forward.

He pulled open the heavy wrought-iron gates, and stepped past them, hearing that familiar squeak as they closed behind him. His boots fell almost silently on the soft dirt path. He'd made sure to come while the sun was still shining for warmth, but there was an unearthly breeze that always seemed to sweep through this place no matter when he came. The breeze came on hard for a second, sending browning leaves his way. Summer was finally turning into Fall. The wind howled just a bit as he finally stopped in front of the gravestone. The gravestone his family was buried under. Maria, Christie, and little Frank Jr. He knelt down long enough to nestle the bouquet of flowers he'd brought with him up against the stone, so they wouldn't fly away with the wind. A few roses and Daisy's. They were always Maria's favorite. He stood in front of the stone for a few uncomfortable moments, trying to think of what to say. There wasn't much that he hadn't said before. Three straight days thinking about this moment, and he still didn't know what to do. He sighed again before speaking.

"_Sorry I haven't been back in a while. Things got a little crazier than normal. But you got me through it, like you always have... I'm so sorry for everything that happened. I could never begin to tell you how sorry I am... or how much I miss you all."_

He placed his hand on the stone and closed his eyes, as those old emotions worked through him. He felt his old, weathered face twitch from the pain, even though he was too strong to show it. He had no more tears to shed. Thirty-four years of grieving and a lifetime of violence and war made sure of that. And it was times like these when he hated himself the most. For not being with them when he'd had the chance. He missed them so much. He sighed one more time and opened his eyes.

"_I'll be back soon."_

He lifted his hand from the stone and made his way back toward the gate. He lifted his hands up to pull the collar of his jacket tighter around his neck against the breeze. As he reached the gate, he grasped the cold steel and fought the temptation to look back. Once more he sighed, before opening the gates and stepping back onto the street. He'd have to call Fury and find out when the funerals were being held for all those soldiers that had died. He wanted to see his last platoon put into the ground. Fucking alien monsters. He looked at his watch. Six-twelve. He placed his hands in his coat and began retracing his steps back to the hideout. It was time to get back to business. All the criminal scum in the city would be making their moves now, because they thought in all the chaos no one would be watching them. They were wrong. And he was going to show them how wrong. He may not have healed one-hundred percent yet, but he was ready for action. This city was his home and he was going to clean out all the garbage; alien or not. He took a last look at the sun as it disappeared behind the lower buildings of the city, and he was shrouded in that familiar darkness.

* * *

He heard the wind whistle through the lead pipe as the thug swung at him. He dodged backward before grabbing the thug's wrist and pulling his gut into his knee. He dropped thug #1 as he heard footsteps behind him. He turned and threw his baton toward the approaching attacker, and heard a short crack followed by a body hitting the ground, telling him he had hit his mark. Hearing nothing more than the sound of moaning, coughing, and labored breathing, he relaxed. He rolled his shoulders before cracking his neck. Heck of a night. This was the third robbery he'd had to break up. Fortunately this place had a silent alarm. He could hear the faint wail of sirens in the distance, and quickly checked the thieves' heartbeats. Both were knocked out. He used the sound of his footsteps to locate his other baton and picked it up before reconnecting the two. He turned and fired the grappling hook up to the roof of the shop and ran up the side of the building to the top.

Safely atop the building, he looked out over the rooftops that he could 'see.' Everything sounded pretty quiet. And the polices scanners were just as quiet for now. He stifled a yawn and rolled his wrist until it cracked comfortably. He could feel the cool breeze in the air. He pulled back the wrist of his suit and checked his watch. Midnight. Probably a good time to turn in. The past few days had been rough, and he still hadn't completely healed from all the damage he took on the Raft. His calf was burning a bit now, and he didn't want to press his luck and have the stitches come out. So he made his way back toward his loft. Things had pretty much returned to normal since the aliens were cleaned out. S.H.I.E.L.D was all over the places where the monsters had made nests, just to make sure there weren't any left. Fortunately there were only one or two nests in Hell's Kitchen, so he rarely had any trouble. Luke was doing well too. About as well as he was. Except he had the luxury of being able to help out in broad daylight. But things were pretty much going back to normal. He and Foggy hadn't gotten any work since the attack, and most of their previously-scheduled cases were either put on retainer or dismissed altogether. Didn't really make much of a difference to him, but Foggy was taking it a bit hard.

The familiar aroma of pizza and laundry filled his nose, and his boots crunched over the loose gravel of the rooftops. The sound of pigeons cooing in his neighbor's birdhouse told him that the next building was his. He leaped over the edge feet-first. He landed atop the fire escape and quickly jumped up again, grabbing the edge of the rooftop. He lifted himself easily over the ledge and once again felt the gravel crunch. He made his way over to his rooftop door and cracked the three safe locks before entering. He closed the door and locked it again. He couldn't wait for the new day, hopefully he could do something around the city. But he was still a little antsy as he removed his mask and felt his way down the stairs to his armament room. He placed his mask on the mannequin head and hung his batons on their hook above it. As he removed his gloves, he realized how thirsty he had become. Leaving his gloves near the mannequin head, he headed out into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water from the fridge. He slid the refreshing liquid down his throat and leaned back against his refrigerator. As he attempted to relax for a moment with the cool drink, a strange scent invaded his nostrils. It wasn't bad. In fact, it smelled a bit like perfume. He placed his glass down on the counter next to the fridge before following the scent through his living room. He knew he never left windows open, and anyone who would visit here would have to know about Daredevil, and the familiarity of that perfume ensured him it wasn't an assassin. He followed the new sound of a heartbeat and faint traces of female pheromones. By the time he traced the aroma back to his bedroom door, he knew who it was. It was an assassin alright, but not one after him.

"_Hello handsome."_

"_Hello Natasha. What are you doing here?"_

He leaned against the door frame, attempting to act casual despite his surprise. He just loved the sound of her voice.

"_Thought I'd see how you were healing. This was the only way to be sure I'd run into you."_

"_I'm not feeling too bad. My calf is still bothering me a bit. Speaking of which, how's your leg?"_

He intentionally left out his previous intention to turn in. He didn't want to push her away.

"_I've had worse. It was a clean break. Nothing a peak-human immune system and a good brace can't heal. Excuse me for not getting up."_

He walked over to his bed and sat down next to her. He could hear her breathing now, and her heartbeat sped up just a bit. He turned to face her, but before he could think of anything to say, he felt her soft lips encompass his in a deep kiss before she pulled away.

"_What do you say we finish what we started in that tent? Just for old times', sake before everything gets 'too' back-to-normal"_

He could hear and feel her breath, telling him she was barely a few inches away. He was still a bit tired, but he was definitely up for this. He leaned in and planted an equally-deep kiss on her full lips, massaging her tongue for a moment before breaking it.

"_That's what I'd say."_

He cracked a smile and she half-laughed. He heard the low sound of a zipper pulling downward. He could see it was the one on her jumpsuit. He moved in and wrapped his hands gently around her waist as she moved her attention to the zipper on his suit. She began kissing his neck and he ran his hands up and down her back as the sound of his suit coming off mixed with the soft creak of the bed as she moved her injured leg atop the sheets. He pulled away and spoke, slightly concerned.

"_What about your leg?"_

She moved in and kissed him again before raising her hand to his cheek.

"_We'll just have to pick a position and stick to it."_

This time he joined her in a half-laugh and a smirk. He kissed her again and readily helped her remove his leather suit-jacket, followed by her own. She pushed him back onto the bed and climbed atop him. He ran his hands through her hair and gave her one more kiss before she leaned back and took control. The creaks of the mattress faded into obscurity amid the sound of their synchronized heartbeats as the night stretched out before him.

* * *

Author's Note: One of my main goals with the characters in this fic was to keep it as 'real' as possible. And love is as real as it gets when it's (insert chapter title here). Sorry for the romance, but I just couldn't resist. Hopefully this next chapter will be the last. I know, I've said that for the last 5 chapters or so, but that makes it suspenseful, right? Haha. Thanks a lot for reading, and I hope you stick around!


	35. Finale: An Untangled Web

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE  
Finale  
An Untangled Web

He lay comfortably in his warm bed as he looked up at the ceiling with his right hand behind his head. His clock on the opposite wall and the sun shining through the window on his right indicated it was eleven in the morning; definitely too late for a superhero to be waking up. It had been four days now since the alien empress had been dispatched. The city seemed to be slowly-but-surely pulling itself together after all the carnage, but it was still up to the heroes to offer help. And no-doubt a few small-time crooks would be looking to make a pass on an unaccompanied store or bank. And he was supposed to be out there right now.

But at the moment, he didn't really feel like Spider-Man. He felt like Peter Parker: ordinary man with an ordinary life. He looked over at his left arm, and the beautiful red-headed woman it was wrapped around. The gorgeous creature he had made passionate love to only a few hours ago, and his wife, Mary-Jane Parker. Last night had been their first back in their apartment, and they definitely made it count. He had thought about getting up, but lying there next to the woman he loved just seemed to make everything else fade away. The troubles of a high-flying superhero were put on hold, and feeling her against him just made him feel so human; so normal, and yet so great.

Her left hand lay across his wiry-yet-toned chest, with her right laying under her pillow. His arm wrapped around her back to her left shoulder. She lay peacefully against her pillow without a hint of worry or concern in her soft, perfect face. He pulled his right hand from beneath his head and pulled away some of the loose locks of her silky red hair that blocked his visage of her. He stared at her beauty as she slept, still disbelieving that he was married to such a lovely lady. He couldn't help but smile. He took her left hand in his right before leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. As he leaned back, her pretty eyes fluttered open and she moaned tiredly. He watched a smile curve around her lips as she looked upon him. He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it before speaking.

"_Good morning."_

"_Good morning."_

Her reply was sleepy, but still in that sensual voice she used that just radiated love and affection. He rubbed her shoulder with his left hand and pulled her close so he could kiss her forehead. She cuddled up to him and lifted her head up from her pillow with her right hand while tracing her fingers around his muscled chest.

"_I had a great time last night, Tiger."_

"_Was that before or after the amazing sex?"_

She giggled just like he'd wanted. Sometimes he just couldn't restrain his lightning-fast wit. It had always been a trait of Spider-Man, but Peter Parker was really starting to enjoy it too. MJ laid her head on his chest and wrapped her left arm around his stomach while scooting her legs up to his. She was so warm. He breathed deeply, both her scent and the morning air, before releasing a satisfied breath.

"_Haaa. It's good to be home. Back in our own apartment."_

MJ chimed in cheerily.

"_And our own bed."_

"_And no more aliens."_

"_Amen to that."_

Disgusting monsters. It was a wonder he hadn't had nightmares or anything. He could only hope there weren't any left. Of course, three days of S.H.I.E.L.D. scanning hadn't found anything, so they were probably in the clear. Then he remembered his belt light was still broken. Damn it!

No. He wasn't going to get worked up. He'd earned a rest, and he was taking it. Bored with the ceiling, he looked out his window over the city while MJ's soft and steady breathing relaxed him a bit, expunging the negative thoughts. Jeez, everything about her was good for him. He rubbed her shoulder again and gave her another kiss before speaking.

"_Well, I was planning on going out on patrol; stop some looters and help put a few buildings back together. But staying in bed sounds nice too."_

"_Well, either way you can work up a nice sweat. There are plenty of things we could do here in bed..."_

He looked down at her smirking face as she rolled over on top of him. He felt her legs straddle him as she engaged him in a slow flurry of deep kisses. Not exactly what he had in mind, but hey; who was he to refuse? He ran his arms up and down her back, attempting to give her a nice massage as he groped her. She in turn traced her hands over his chest and abs. The ringing of a phone call put a slight hitch in the heated moment. MJ spoke between their still-deep kisses.

"_Who is it?"_

He reluctantly pulled his face away from hers in an attempt to look at the caller ID. He swore, if it was Jameson he would know the guy had it in for him. Fortunately it was Aunt May. Feeling MJ's groping becoming more passionate, he saw the misfortune in that as well. Without another thought he picked up the phone and pressed it to his ear.

"_Hi Aunt May."_

At the sound of the name, MJ immediately took on a playfully-disappointed pout before coming up and lightly biting his ear.

"_Hello. Why, Peter, you sound tired. Am I interrupting something or did you just wake up?"_

"_No no, we've been up for a while. We were just getting situated."_

Too bad spider powers couldn't save him from awkward moments. As MJ stopped her advances and pulled away, she spoke into the receiver.

"_Hi May!"_

"_Hello Mary-Jane."_

He watched as MJ stood up from the bed and walked her beautiful... slim....half-naked... form over to the dresser for some clothes. As difficult as it was to focus on Aunt May, he chose the latter. He swung his legs onto the floor and stood up, once again looking out the window.

"_What's up, Aunt May?"_

"_Are you sure the two of you wouldn't rather stay here? That apartment must be so small and drafty, and I have this whole house to myself. And that whole area was plagued by those awful monsters... Are you sure you wouldn't be more comfortable here?"_

He looked to his left to see Mary-Jane stark naked in the mirror, and the feelings welling up inside him at that moment more than answered his question.

"_No, thank you, but we're just fine here. It's really not that bad. And besides, the Bugle is much closer to here. And moving back in would be such a hassle..."_

"_I don't mind if you two have sex. Just as long as you keep it modest..."_

And that pretty much killed the aura in the whole apartment.

"_Aunt May!"_

"_Oh, hush up. Oh, I'm sorry dear but I have to go. Something is happening on the television. I'll talk to you soon."_

"_Alright. Love you. Bye."_

He turned off the phone and placed it back on the hook before grabbing the remote and turning on the television across from the bed. It was always on the news.

"_...super-criminal known as Shocker has made an assault on the First National Bank of Long Island at the center of Times Square. Reports are coming in..."_

He turned the tv off and went for the closet next to the window. He opened the trunk within and pulled out his spider-suit, laying it out on the bed. MJ came back from the bathroom still brushing her teeth in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve shirt. She stopped brushing as she noticed he was suiting up.

"_Heading out again, honey?"_

He slipped the shirt on before responding, followed by the web-shooters and gloves.

"_Well, you know; a hero's work is never done."_

After making sure the boots were nice and tight, he walked over and gave his wife a quick kiss.

"_Mmm. Minty-fresh."_

"_Don't you think you should take a shower?"  
_

"_As much as I'd like to, I don't think Shocker's going to wait around. Besides, nobody's going to smell my spider-funk."_

"_Well, good. More hot water and spider-funk for me. Hehe."_

He gave her one more kiss before sliding the mask on.

"_I'll be back soon."_

"_I won't wait up, then."_

He slid open the window and stepped out onto the fire escape, placing his wrist to his forehead dramatically.

"_Oh, the sarcasm, it's too much. Goodbye cruel world..."_

He leaned and fell backwards off the fire escape before turning and spinning a web to a building on his right. As he let the white strand and the forces of gravity & inertia lift him back into the air, he looked back to see MJ waving at him from the fire escape. He turned and blew her a quick kiss before turning again and spinning another web. He felt really bad leaving her so suddenly. It made him curse the powers he had been given, and the responsibility it entailed. But he'd tried giving it up once. Didn't work. It was just his life, and he was convinced of enjoying it no matter what. Now _that_ was the Spider-Man he knew. It may have been hero time now, but he'd be Peter Parker again soon. With that invigorating warmth in his chest and a spring in his step... well, web... he released an excited whoop and let the cool swift breeze of his web-slinging carry him off through the city he loved.

* * *

They sat hunched over on their perch, a small bridged hallway connecting two halves of the marble building. It was comfortably situated low enough below the top of the building to avoid being spotted from the air, and high enough that he wouldn't be sighted from the street. The sun was still high in the sky, about noon, and it was a bit cloudy today so their shadow didn't cast down to the street. The cold wind combined with the lack of sun gave the air a brisk feeling. It was a good day; a clean day. The remains of the Xenomorphs had been cleaned out of this area already, so business had continued as normal. They stared at the great concrete block building across the street. It had an odd sculpture carved out of the wall just above the foyer entrance. They had used their old detective skills from his journalism days to get this far. Now they were just watching and waiting, vigilantly, like a hunter for its prey. These things do take quite a while, but they had been patient. They watched each person exiting the building, waiting for their target.

Finally the moment came. They spied a woman in a gray suit and skirt, carrying a briefcase. Nothing out of the ordinary, as this is the Supreme Court of New York building. But that short blonde hair, short thin frame, and nervous walk convinced them it was her. His ex-wife Anne. They had found her address and discovered that she was defending a client today. She was quite a successful lawyer. They wished that he could have seen that. As she continued walking down the street, they ascended to the roof and began following her. The last time they had spoken to her as Venom had not been pleasant.

Their reaction to Parker's supposed death and subsequent obsession with killing the Xenomorphs had made them take a look at all the things on this world keeping them going, and the things they truly treasured. Anne had been one of them. And now that they looked back on it, she still was. She had been a fine host for the symbiote for however brief a time, and he had always regretted losing her as a wife. It was possibly the only thing that made him feel guilty about their life as Venom. As they watched her make her way down the street, he realized how much he did still love her. He didn't think the symbiote could love. It was one of the few things that kept them separate. He missed her company, and felt so guilty about ignoring her and focusing on his hatred of Spider-Man. He had become a bad person. But they were working to correct that.

They watched as she crossed the street and stopped at the bus stop on the other side. There was no bench, so she just stood there, setting her briefcase down beside her. They could see her place her hand to her mouth and yawn before moving a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. She looked tired. Then again, a high-stakes legal case in the early morning would make anyone tired. They hoped she wouldn't have to wait long and backed away from the edge of the roof a bit so they could look further down the street. The bus was coming. But traffic was slow. As they returned to their crouched position at the edge of the roof, they decided that perhaps they... he... should go down and talk to her. Keep her company, perhaps. Yes. A good idea. They had been wanting to patch things up with her. And they were lucky enough that she had survived the invasion. Again, they felt guilty for forgetting about her in all the excitement. Nothing like the possibility of death to push one into action.

After taking one last look at the still-distant bus, they began moving toward the far edge of the building. Easier to 'unmask' and climb down without being seen. But as they moved, they noticed a shady-looking man approach her, and stand very, very close. They returned their full attention as she seemed to stiffen up at his presence. And they saw his hand move into the inner pocket of his coat, as if pointing at her. They watched his head look around quickly as she slowly picked up her briefcase and hand it to him. He was robbing her! How dare he! That low-life prick! Anger boiled up inside them. But they didn't want to harm Anne or any other innocents in the process, so they allowed the thief to make his way down the street between his building and her bus stop. He walked quickly toward the low bridge, and they followed. They took one more look back to ensure she was alright. She was. But she was shaking slightly, as if she were holding back tears. That tore it. This bastard would die _now_.

They used their adaptive camouflage and leaped to the wall of the other building, crawling to the bridge. As he walked beneath it, they followed. They saw him hide in the shadow of the bridge, looking inside her briefcase to look at his plunder. He was barely able to lift his eyes away before they attacked. He pulled the gun from his pocket and aimed to shoot them, but they webbed his arm to the wall, letting the gun fire harmlessly into the air followed by the screaming of a few bystanders. Letting their camouflage down and changing the symbiote into a set of clothing, they couldn't hold back a hateful growl. The crook managed to release a quick scream before they dug their fist into his chest, feeling a few ribs break as they did. His scream was cut short as the air was forced out of his lungs. He dropped the suitcase and tried to free his arm. They wrapped their hand around his throat and lifted him into the air, choking him.

"_You think you can rob someone at gunpoint and get away with it you piece of shit? Huh?! Not in our city."_

They growled again and raised their other hand intending to dig their claws into him. But they're 'spider-sense' flared before they heard a familiar voice.

"_Eddie?"_

They looked, and there she was. She must have come looking after all the noise. They released the crook and recalled their webbing, letting him fall to the ground. They didn't want to kill anyone in front of her. She had been through enough at his hands. He hadn't wanted to meet her again like this, but he wasn't going to waste an opportunity.

"_Anne, I..."_

Suddenly he heard the loud release of air from brakes and looked past her down the street to see her bus waiting for her. He quickly turned around and retrieved her briefcase, handing it to her.

"_Hurry. You'll miss your bus."_

She stammered and stood motionless, but the bus was leaving! He pulled the case and her close to his chest and fired a web line up to the building, swing them both around the corner to stand back at the stop. He pushed her onto the bus as it closed its doors and drove away. He watched as she tried to make her way back through the bus to see him, but it was too crowded. They sighed. Damn it. Another missed opportunity. Their senses flared again, and they realized how open they had been about their abilities. They quickly resumed their usual form and once again used their camouflage to leap back up to the rooftops unseen. Another fine mess they had made. They shook their head and leaned over the opposite edge of the building, away from the street, and looked out over the city. Their city. New York City, a breeding ground for crime. They had spent years trying to correct that, but it never seemed to do any good. It was always fun to try, though.

Speaking of fun, they heard a familiar thwisp sound as they looked over the buildings. Their spider-sense was going wild, and sure enough they saw the blue and red costume of Spider-Man swinging his way across the city. Finally! Now that the aliens were gone and their deal with him had expired, they were free to pursue him again. They rubbed their hands and ran their tongue over their teeth before employing their own webbing to follow him. They tried to keep a good distance behind him, but he seemed to be in an awful hurry. Where was he off to in such a rush? Well, wherever it was, they would follow. As they followed him around a corner, they couldn't help but think about all the ways they could tease him. Cut his web line... throw a car... push him in front of a train again.... Ah, yes. Things had finally returned to normal. It was a brand new day in New York City. And a new hunt as well.

Speaking of hunting, their thoughts moved back over their former ally, Hunter. What could he be up to, they wondered as they swung through the city following their own prey.

* * *

He sat on his cot, meditating. Attempting to clear his mind for the task before him. Although their advanced technology aboard the ship had healed his wounds more or less completely, he still needed preparation. He had only met the being once before, and it required a steeled mind. But as much as he tried to concentrate, and as quiet as the engines of the vessel were, he could not. His thoughts drifted back to the warriors he had left behind on Earth. Venom, Spider-Man, and... ugh... Deadpool. He hoped they and their city were recovering well. It would have been a shame, all of them going through so much trouble only to have things worsen all over again. He had made sure to send a message to the Shi' ar Empire about a formula to disintegrate the Xenomorph's saliva material. It would be easier for the Shi' ar to send it to Earth. Foolish politicians. They never learn. And as soon as he arrived back on the homeworld, he intended to give the High Council another piece of his mind about this Xenomorph business. But he contemplated whether or not he should tell them about the Empress, and her above-average abilities. It could be just what they were looking for, in case they were somehow involved. And he wasn't about to give them the satisfaction.

With his concentration ruined by the entrance of anger, worry, spite, and frustration into his mind, he opened his eyes and fell out of his meditation position. Dropping his arms to his sides and swinging his bandaged legs over the edge of his cot to the floor, he looked around his cabin. As with all of them it was small. But being that he outranked the captain of this vessel, he had been privileged with a more spacious quarters. His armor and mask sat on a desk to his left. The walls were a cold metallic blue, while the cot was warm. Meant to be comfortable enough to slip into cryo-sleep for long journeys.

He heard a familiar beeping sound before the door to his cabin slid open, revealing another of his kind. He was tall and lean, wearing his uniform cape and several battle scars on his armor. The Captain. He told him in their language that they were nearing His ship, and would arrive in a few moments. He nodded in reply and told the captain he would be ready shortly. The Captain bowed respectfully and walked away as the door closed automatically. He was young for a Captain. But it was good to see that not all youthful Yautja were arrogant.

He stood up and retrieved his armor, placing it back over himself. He situated it over his chest and freed his tendrils that had been caught. Once he was comfortable again, he reached for his mask. But he thought better of putting it on. It was more respectful not to wear it. But now to the real point of interest. He opened the desk and reached inside, retrieving the device he had taken from Spider-Man on Earth. The Ultimate Nullifier. Strange how one of the most powerful devices in the universe had made its way to a relatively-primitive planet like Earth. He closed the desk and held the device carefully under his arm. He sighed. It was time. He made his way out of his cabin toward the rear of the ship. His feet clanked on the lit metallic floor, just as the others crew members' did as they followed him. The lights came from the floor and either corner of the ceiling, leading him down the dark vessel.

Soon enough he arrived at the portal viewing room. The collected crew members bowed as he passed them to stand in front of the large transparent window that separated the interior of the ship from the crushing depths of space. The Captain stood next to him as the ship back up toward a large silver air-locked entrance. As they approached the doors opened, allowing them to proceed into the depths of His ship. The doors behind them closed as the door before them opened. As they approached the end of the tunnel, he could see more and more of the activity within. Soon enough the ship stood out in the open air before the massive thrown and the being sitting upon it. The World-Devourer known as Galactus was many times larger than their ship, so they approached his thrown level with his eyes. Finally the being took notice of them as the ship stopped before him.

"_Yautja. What business do you have aboard my ship, hunters?"_

The colossus spoke like a booming machine; devoid of any emotion aside from an air of self-righteousness. The others, including the Captain, backed away to allow him room. The window was opened for him, and a ramp extended outward from it. He held the Ultimate Nullifier before him and stepped out to the edge of the ramp, lifting the device toward its master and creator. Galactus was fond of the Earth language for some reason, so he spoke it once again. He steeled his mind by counter-acting his mild fear with confidence.

"_We have come to return the Ultimate Nullifier to you, World-Devourer."_

The massive purple being leaned forward interestedly, as he had been previously lying comfortably back. His large glowing eyes fixed upon the device, no-doubt scanning it for authenticity. After a few tense moments, the giant leaned back once again.

"_You have my gratitude, Yautja. Your planet has already been declared immune to my hunger. How else do you wish to be repaid?"_

He had thought about this on the way. And as angry as the High Council would be if they discovered his choice, he didn't care.

"_I ask that you extend the same immunization to the planet Earth."_

The behemoth pondered for a moment. He needed the energy supplied by entire planets to survive. His homeworld was a wasteland; not a considerable loss. But Earth was much more lush. It was a chance, but Galactus would never lose a chance to regain the one object in the universe that could destroy him.

"_Very well, Yautja. Earth will be spared."_

The giant's hand rose from the control panels in the arm of his chair and reached toward the device. He knelt down to one knee and presented the device above his head. Beams of energy flew from Galactus's fingers and lifted the device from his hands, bringing it to rest in his enormous grip.

With the bargain struck and their business concluded, he rose up once again and re-entered the ship. Galactus's notice of them ceased as they retracted the ramp and closed the window, exiting the enormous ship the way they had entered. As he thanked the Captain and made his way back to his cabin, he caught a few of the crew members giving him odd looks. A favor from Galactus was like being spared Death's blade. Anything was possible. To them, using such power on a planet like Earth was ridiculous. He'd had the Captain give his word that their meeting would not leave this ship, but he doubted it would stay that way.

As he returned to his cabin he realized that honestly, he didn't care about the consequences. He had not defied them or committed treason, so the Council was in no position to kill him. And being Warden of their Xenomorph planetoid was already the worst task they could assign to him. As far as he was concerned, stopping the infestation of Earth was his responsibility, and no one could argue with that.

As he removed his armor again and laid down on his cot, he activated the cryo-sleep function. It was quite a long trip between here and the homeworld, and he didn't intend to spend it awake. As the cot's cover closed over him, he closed his eyes and relaxed. For the first time in many days, he could rest. And dream. Dream of glory, honor, & comrades. Dream of battles passed. And battles yet to come.

The End

* * *

_Author's Note: Cue the "Predator" theme music! I promised myself I wasn't going to cry... just kidding. Well th-th-th-th-th-th-that's all folks! The story is over. All is right with the universe once more and as usual, the heroes come out on top. Just in case you're unaware, "Yautja" is the official name for the 'Predator' species according to the official books, and is therefore (C) Dark Horse/Fox. I hope you all liked the -ahem- 'little' guest appearance by Galactus. It's Marvel, so why not end it with the biggest bang of all, eh?  
_

_Seriously, though. I just want to thank all of you who have supported me while I've been writing this. It hasn't been easy, but the best things in life rarely come that way. I'm so glad that I've finally finished this. Let me tell you, 35 chapters was a far cry to how short I thought this would be. But it was all you people. Without your support I don't think I ever would have finished this. Thank you all so very very much for reading. I hope it has enriched your lives & knowledge of these great franchises the way it has with mine. I sincerely hope you, and everyone who reaches this point, have all enjoyed reading this monster of a crossover. Once again thank you all so very very much, and have a nice day! Keep reading, writing, and reviewing!_

_-War Journalist_


End file.
